The president of the European Parliament Martin Schulz summed up those frustrations on Thursday when he said: “It was the United Kingdom government who raised the problem of the referendum, and it is up to the Cameron government to make proposals, it is not up to us to make proposals on what possibly the United Kingdom government should suggest to us”.
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Cameron, who opposes any further transfer of sovereignty to the European Union and says voters are unhappy with the current settlement, formally began his renegotiation with a brief summary of Britain’s objectives to other leaders in June.
Cameron will lay out the demands in a letter to EU President Donald Tusk in November, ahead of a major discussion on his plans with fellow European leaders in December.
“The pace will now quicken”, he said.
The Prime Minister has promised an in/out referendum on Britain’s European Union membership by the end of 2017, though most observers believe he would rather have it out of the way by the end of next year to avoid clashing with German and French elections.
A few politicians in Germany and elsewhere have expressed concern that the crisis was preventing Cameron from making his case for reform and his opting out of an European Union plan to relocate migrants across Europe was eroding political goodwill.
He said: “I am sure (Angela) Merkel and co are quaking in their boots as they wait for Cameron’s renegotiation demands in November”. “His statement today that personally “I don’t think Britain needs the European Union” is spot on”.
In Brussels, Minister for European Affairs Dara Murphy said it was important that Britain produce written proposals, adding that Ireland would be particularly supportive of British requests in the sphere of competitiveness and economic governance.
He cautioned: “I can’t say huge progress has been achieved”.
“To tango, it takes two”, Juncker said.
Mr Cameron’s agreement to provide more details of his ambitions followed signs of mounting impatience in Brussels over his failure to spell out exactly what reforms he is seeking. “I hope I will have more information tonight”, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said.
Trade is likely to be one of the central themes of the referendum campaigner with those calling for Britain to remain in the EU arguing it gives United Kingdom firms access to the European single market while working with 27 other nations gives it a stronger voice on global trade.
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Amid reports that the crucial discussions on the final package may not take place until March, Mr Cameron’s spokeswoman dismissed suggestions that the timetable for the renegotiation was “slipping”, insisting that the Government had always made clear that the talks were “driven by substance, not by schedules”.
