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| David Cameron arrives in Berlin for talks with Merkel over EU reform | |
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| David Cameron has arrived in Berlin for talks with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, the last stop in a two-day charm offensive targeting key European leaders that seeks to win support for change to the EU ahead of the UK’s referendum. | |
| Merkel’s aim is to keep Britain in the EU while appearing not to concede to Cameron’s demands for limits on migrants’ benefits. Her advisers have cautiously admitted that the chancellor would consider it a failure of her chancellorship if a Brexit were to happen on her watch. | |
| Despite the frustrations over what the German government sees as Cameron’s overly confident approach – and the distinct impression that he’s “spoiling for a fight” as an opinion piece in Die Welt put it, in a country more used to consensus than confrontation – there are few in Berlin who want to see Britain leave. The prime minister was greeted by a full military guard of honour outside Berlin’s chancellery after travelling to Germany from Warsaw. | |
| In Poland he had a breakfast meeting with his counterpart, Ewa Kopacz, after which Downing Street admitted the issue of migrants’ access to national welfare systems needed to be “discussed further”. | |
| A Downing Street spokesperson said: “There was much they could agree on: making Europe more competitive by strengthening the single market, cutting back red tape, ensuring fairness between euro-ins and euro-outs and more subsidiarity, respecting the sovereignty of member states. | A Downing Street spokesperson said: “There was much they could agree on: making Europe more competitive by strengthening the single market, cutting back red tape, ensuring fairness between euro-ins and euro-outs and more subsidiarity, respecting the sovereignty of member states. |
| “On immigration and welfare, Prime Minister Kopacz welcomed the PM’s commitment to respect the principle of free movement,” said the spokesperson. “They agreed that there were issues concerning the interaction between free movement and national welfare systems that should be discussed further. | |
| “Kopacz emphasised that Poland valued the UK’s membership of the EU and said that she hoped they could work together in a positive spirit to keep Britain in.” | |
| Janusz Lewandowski, Kopacz’s chief economic adviser, told Radio TOK FM Poland that Cameron would not get far in Warsaw. “He wants to limit immigrant rights and will hear a definite no, as he did in other European capitals,” he said. | |
| The visits on Friday mark the end of a week of talks with EU leaders to gather support for changes Cameron wants before holding the UK’s EU membership referendum. | |
| Cameron’s whistlestop tour kicked off at the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga last Friday. The prime minister dined with Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European commission, on Monday night at Chequers, before travelling to Holland and France on Thursday after Wednesday’s state opening of parliament. | |
| Cameron aims to speak to all leaders of the 27 other EU member states before a European council summit on 25-26 June, in an attempt to secure a “better deal” for the UK in the EU before the in/out referendum on Britain’s membership, promised by 2017. | |
| He has urged his fellow EU leaders to be “flexible and imaginative”, but one of Germany’s most senior businessmen said Europe should refuse to negotiate with him. | He has urged his fellow EU leaders to be “flexible and imaginative”, but one of Germany’s most senior businessmen said Europe should refuse to negotiate with him. |
| Volker Treier, deputy chief executive of Germany’s chamber of commerce and industry, told the BBC the German business world was “astonished” the UK was holding a referendum at all. Asked how far Merkel should go in accommodating Britain’s requests, he said: “Our recommendation is not to deal under such circumstances.” | Volker Treier, deputy chief executive of Germany’s chamber of commerce and industry, told the BBC the German business world was “astonished” the UK was holding a referendum at all. Asked how far Merkel should go in accommodating Britain’s requests, he said: “Our recommendation is not to deal under such circumstances.” |
| The promise of an in/out referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU before the end of 2017 was a key element of the Conservative party’s general election manifesto. The prime minister has pledged to secure a number of changes in the terms of the UK’s EU membership and to then campaign for Britain to remain in the politico-economic union. | The promise of an in/out referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU before the end of 2017 was a key element of the Conservative party’s general election manifesto. The prime minister has pledged to secure a number of changes in the terms of the UK’s EU membership and to then campaign for Britain to remain in the politico-economic union. |
| Cameron is, among other things, appealing to be able to stop unemployed EU migrants from claiming benefits and to force those who are working to wait four years before claiming in-work benefits, something ministers have been told would require a revision of the Lisbon treaty. | Cameron is, among other things, appealing to be able to stop unemployed EU migrants from claiming benefits and to force those who are working to wait four years before claiming in-work benefits, something ministers have been told would require a revision of the Lisbon treaty. |
| The UK is home to about 700,000 Polish people, who are able to work freely because of the country’s membership of the EU. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, George Byczynski, coordinator of the British Poles Initiative, said although he was sympathetic to Cameron’s attempts to stop migrants claiming benefits without having worked, he was worried about the prospect of stopping them from claiming in-work benefits. | The UK is home to about 700,000 Polish people, who are able to work freely because of the country’s membership of the EU. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, George Byczynski, coordinator of the British Poles Initiative, said although he was sympathetic to Cameron’s attempts to stop migrants claiming benefits without having worked, he was worried about the prospect of stopping them from claiming in-work benefits. |
| “I do understand that British society would want to counter some of the benefit abusers and impose certain restrictions to make sure that somebody doesn’t come here, take the benefits, and then leave, which is a marginal case,” he said. “But with regards to people who want to work, want to provide for their families, I think that it is important to make them feel welcome and equal.” | “I do understand that British society would want to counter some of the benefit abusers and impose certain restrictions to make sure that somebody doesn’t come here, take the benefits, and then leave, which is a marginal case,” he said. “But with regards to people who want to work, want to provide for their families, I think that it is important to make them feel welcome and equal.” |