Cameroon Kicks Off Official Campaign for EU Concessions

By Jenny Gross and Tom Fairless 

        BRUSSELS--British Prime Minister David Cameron has told European Union leaders he accepts it may be impossible to change the EU's governing treaty before an in-out referendum on the U.K.'s membership in the bloc.
        Mr. Cameron met with EU leaders at a summit Thursday in hopes of pushing forward his demands for a changed relationship between the U.K. and the EU. He has promised to give Britons the opportunity to vote in a referendum on whether they want to stay in the EU by the end of 2017, after a period of negotiations.
        A British government official said Mr. Cameron has told fellow leaders during recent discussions that he is seeking "legally binding and irreversible" promises of future treaty change but he accepted that the 27 other EU governments may not be able to ratify these changes by his deadline for holding a referendum.
        EU diplomats said Mr. Cameron's position was largely an acknowledgment of reality: EU treaty change is a lengthy process requiring the consent of all member states, and many EU countries have no appetite for treaty change. And even if all 27 of his counterparts wanted to overhaul the treaty in line with Cameron's demands, the timetable would be unrealistic. The last major treaty revision took eight years from the start of negotiation until it went into force.
        Still, holding the U.K. referendum without locking in treaty changes raises the possibility that voters in other countries could reject Britain's demands in their own referendums or that governments could change and renege on the promised reforms.
        In the U.K., many support Mr. Cameron's efforts to push for change, but some--including within his own party--are skeptical he will be able to secure significant concessions. Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU U.K. Independence Party, wrote in a message on Twitter that Mr. Cameron appeared to have "surrendered" over the need for EU treaty change.
        Over dinner Thursday, the prime minister addressed the leaders about his plans for changes and the U.K.'s referendum, and his desire to kick off negotiations into a technical phase. Mr. Cameron said there has been widespread unease in the U.K. about the U.K.'s membership in the EU for many years and that he is determined to address this. He said it is important the British people think that the EU can serve their interests and can change in a way that responds to their concerns.
        Since Mr. Cameron was elected to a second five-year term in May, he has had discussions with all 27 of his EU counterparts on his effort to renegotiate the U.K.'s membership.
        Mr. Cameron has already found a mixed reception.
        Earlier Thursday, Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, warned Mr. Cameron that any changes to the EU must be for "the common good" of all its member countries.
        "Solutions in the European Union usually are not brought about by one member state making demands and expecting the others to deliver," Mr. Schulz said.
        "If the U.K. government makes concrete proposals that will make the European Union more democratic, more effective and transparent and that deepen the single market, we will certainly be able to reach an agreement," he said.
        European Council President Donald Tusk said, "the fundamental values of the European Union are not for sale and so are nonnegotiable." However, he added, "there are some U.K. concerns we should consider but only in a way which will be safe for all Europe."
        Specifically, Mr. Cameron has faced resistance on his proposal to restrict welfare benefits for EU migrants. EU citizens are free to live and work anywhere in the bloc without visas, and the U.K., which has seen relatively robust economic growth, has proved a magnet for immigrants in recent years.
        EU leaders have expressed concerns that limiting welfare benefits for EU migrants would constitute discrimination and challenge the principle of freedom of movement within the region.
        Other objectives Mr. Cameron has listed focus on economic competitiveness, such as speeding up trade deals and reducing regulation, and ensuring that further integration among countries that use the euro won't put other EU members at a disadvantage. He also wants to give groups of national parliaments the power to veto EU legislation.
        On Wednesday night, the eve of the summit, the U.K.'s Queen Elizabeth II spoke about the importance of cooperation between European partners, marking a rare public comment on the matter.
        Speaking in Berlin, at a banquet with German Chancellor Angel Merkel and Mr. Cameron, she said: "We know that we must work hard to maintain the benefits of the postwar world. We know that division in Europe is dangerous and that we must guard against it in the West as well as in the east of our continent. That remains a common endeavor."
        Laurence Norman contributed to this article.
        Write to Jenny Gross at jenny.gross@wsj.com and Tom Fairless at tom.fairless@wsj.com
        (END) Dow Jones Newswires

        June 25, 2015 19:43 ET (23:43 GMT)

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