“Yesterday, we made very good progress on both of the very important topics”.
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“But there is a path through this to a better deal for Britain”, the Press Association reports.
Since Cameron published his list of demands at the start of November, EU governments have warned him that the welfare payments plan is against the spirit of European unity because it discriminates against some workers.
With 16 weeks scheduled for campaigning, if a deal is secured at the next European Council in mid-February, that could mean a referendum in June.
But former Prime Minister Sir John Major said it would be “extraordinary” if ministers chose to break ranks now. He explained his request for a model based on four years and reiterated an openness to alternative solutions only if they could achieve the same objective.
“Leaders voiced their concerns but also demonstrated willingness to look for compromise”, Tusk told a news conference after the summit.
“How these changes are achieved has to be negotiated”, he told the BBC. “We all agree this is something that cannot happen now but it could take place later”, she said.
He also questioned whether opting out of the European Union would help reduce immigration.
Cameron has promised a vote before the end of 2017 but there are indications he hopes to reach an agreement in February and call a vote earlier.
“Whether that’s the case will likely depend on whether this broad political impetus is sufficient to see the process through”, he said.
He urged David Cameron “to end the pretence” of European Union renegotiation and back an “out” vote at the referendum. “Tonight, here in Brussels, we are going to have a conversation dedicated to Britain’s renegotiation of its position in Europe and I want to see real progress in all of the four areas that I have mentioned”, he told reporters on arrival, referring to four topics on which he wants to negotiate change.
“There are clearly opposing opinions around the cabinet table”, Brady wrote in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday.
Other EU leaders have expressed their desire to accommodate United Kingdom demands but only if core EU principles, including on the right to freedom of movement, are respected and not undermined. “It is on that basis that we can pursue the discussions”.
Cameron said he will argue to stay as long as he gets a new deal for Britain, but a strong contingent within his Conservative Party favors leaving the EU.
Mrs Merkel said “intensive discussions” would be required to resolve the issues by February and said it would not be simple.
“It’s not politically credible to go back and say “we’ve reconsidered, let’s have another referendum”.
“Then it will be for the British people to decide whether we will remain or leave”.
“There’s still a lot of hard work to be done but there is a path through this”, Cameron said.
According to the latest poll, published by the Daily Telegraph just before the summit last week, 47 percent of Britons woould vote to leave the European Union, with 38 percent voting to stay and 14 percent undecided.
Treaty change would be very hard for Mr Cameron to sell in Europe, given the requirement for a referendum in Ireland. How many times can his little plans be rejected?
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A photograph of Mr Cameron and Mrs Merkel apparently frowning at each other was explained by Downing Street officials who said: “They were wincing about Mariano Rajoy being punched”. “There’s plenty of time to get the substance the British people need”, he said.
