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Cameron 'won't take an EU deal that does not meet British needs' – live updates Cameron 'won't take an EU deal that does not meet British needs' – live updates
(35 minutes later)
3.12pm GMT
15:12
Donald Tusk has also been speaking in the last few minutes about the state of negotiations, telling journalists: “We are in the middle of still very difficult and sensitive issues on the UK question.”
“One thing is clear to me though. This is a make or break summit.”
3.10pm GMT
15:10
Here’s a glimpse of what things look like behind the scenes in (not so smoke-filled) rooms, courtesy of Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council.
Last bilateral meeting with PM @David_Cameron before #EUCO begins talks on new settlement for #UKinEU. pic.twitter.com/NBUodjeg8y
3.04pm GMT
15:04
The French president, Francois Hollande, has told waiting reporters that an agreement on Britain’s EU membership is possible “because it is necessary”.
He added however, that no country should have a veto right. Europe must not be stopped from “moving forward,” he added, using one of those vague terms EU leaders are fond of using at times like this.
#brexit hollande - if cameron gets too much, others will demand 'exceptions'
3.02pm GMT
15:02
Some more positive initial soundings - from the point of view of British negotiators - now from leaders arriving at the summit.
Lithuanian leader Dalia Grubauskaite 'everybody will have its own drama, and then we will agree.' (best description of EU summit ever?)
Merkel arrives... says 'we will do everything to ensure that the UK stays part of the EU'
2.59pm GMT
14:59
Lest we regard the negotiations around the UK’s proposed reforms as the only game in town, here’s a reminder of the impact of an other crisis facing the EU.
The European Union’s migration chief warned Austria that its plans to cap migrant numbers would break the bloc’s laws, reports Reuters.
Austria, on the migrant route from Turkey via Greece and the Balkans to Germany, said this week it would let in no more than 3,200 people a day and also cap asylum claims at 80 a day from Friday..
“What the Austrians have decided is not according to European laws,” European Union Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told Reuters.
He said he would send the Austrian government a letter “telling them that what they decided to do is not compatible to the European legislation. The Austrians are obliged to accept asylum applications without putting a cap.”
Around 700,000 migrants, many of them fleeing fighting in Syria, Afghanistan and other conflict zones, entered Austria last year, and about 90,000 of them applied for asylum there.
2.43pm GMT2.43pm GMT
14:4314:43
Here’s reminder of the potential struggle which David Cameron will face later today, particularly when it comes to key central and eastern European member states. The Guardian’s Ian Traynor quotes Poland’s prime minister, Beata Szydło:Here’s reminder of the potential struggle which David Cameron will face later today, particularly when it comes to key central and eastern European member states. The Guardian’s Ian Traynor quotes Poland’s prime minister, Beata Szydło:
#brexit polish pm - we want an agreement but not at any price#brexit polish pm - we want an agreement but not at any price
This is Ben Quinn picking up the baton over from Matt Weaver.This is Ben Quinn picking up the baton over from Matt Weaver.
2.15pm GMT2.15pm GMT
14:1514:15
The UK’s attempts to restrict child benefits and in-work benefits for EU migrants is put in context in a blogpost by Bruegel the Brussels-based economic thinktank.The UK’s attempts to restrict child benefits and in-work benefits for EU migrants is put in context in a blogpost by Bruegel the Brussels-based economic thinktank.
It has dug out House of Commons figures which show that only a tiny fraction (0.26%) of child benefits are paid to EU migrants.It has dug out House of Commons figures which show that only a tiny fraction (0.26%) of child benefits are paid to EU migrants.
UpdatedUpdated
at 2.24pm GMTat 2.24pm GMT
2.00pm GMT2.00pm GMT
14:0014:00
“Cameron’s pettiness demeans and embarrasses Britain,” writes Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee.“Cameron’s pettiness demeans and embarrasses Britain,” writes Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee.
Cameron enters the “in” campaign having spent his entire decade as party leader undermining support for it. He deserves to lose, but we have to hope to God he doesn’t. Under him, Britain has had next to nothing constructive to contribute to the EU’s troubles, riven and immobilised over the migration crisis, and by the euro’s weakness to which austerity was the wrong answer ...Cameron enters the “in” campaign having spent his entire decade as party leader undermining support for it. He deserves to lose, but we have to hope to God he doesn’t. Under him, Britain has had next to nothing constructive to contribute to the EU’s troubles, riven and immobilised over the migration crisis, and by the euro’s weakness to which austerity was the wrong answer ...
Cameron has even undermined the great reasons for the EU’s existence. Securing democratic freedom was its founding postwar purpose, which explains the hasty eastward enlargement when the Berlin Wall fell. Former communist countries, and Greece, Spain and Portugal, were all embraced, regardless of economic cost. Because the EU is a beacon of decency, the world’s oppressed travel here to this most stable, well-governed zone. But in begging for tiny concessions on benefits, Cameron has grovelled to authoritarian governments in Poland and Hungary who already test the margins of human rights acceptability. His promise of a British bill of human rights would let Hungarians and Poles claim the right to pick and choose their own too.Cameron has even undermined the great reasons for the EU’s existence. Securing democratic freedom was its founding postwar purpose, which explains the hasty eastward enlargement when the Berlin Wall fell. Former communist countries, and Greece, Spain and Portugal, were all embraced, regardless of economic cost. Because the EU is a beacon of decency, the world’s oppressed travel here to this most stable, well-governed zone. But in begging for tiny concessions on benefits, Cameron has grovelled to authoritarian governments in Poland and Hungary who already test the margins of human rights acceptability. His promise of a British bill of human rights would let Hungarians and Poles claim the right to pick and choose their own too.
If Cameron returns triumphant this weekend, award him no laurels. Even if he wins the referendum for “remain”, he will have left both Britain and Europe in a weaker state than when he first aspired to become leader of his country.If Cameron returns triumphant this weekend, award him no laurels. Even if he wins the referendum for “remain”, he will have left both Britain and Europe in a weaker state than when he first aspired to become leader of his country.
1.47pm GMT1.47pm GMT
13:4713:47
Gianni Pittella, the president of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, the second largest political group in the European Parliament, says his bloc will support Britain remaining in the EU but not at the cost of sacrificing its values.Gianni Pittella, the president of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, the second largest political group in the European Parliament, says his bloc will support Britain remaining in the EU but not at the cost of sacrificing its values.
Al via il prevertice socialista: sosterremo la permanenza del Regno Unito in UE ma senza sacrificare i nostri valori pic.twitter.com/4WMDWqqUEpAl via il prevertice socialista: sosterremo la permanenza del Regno Unito in UE ma senza sacrificare i nostri valori pic.twitter.com/4WMDWqqUEp
1.31pm GMT1.31pm GMT
13:3113:31
Cameron’s Twitter feed echoed his remarks.Cameron’s Twitter feed echoed his remarks.
I'm in Brussels where I'm negotiating hard for Britain. I'm clear, I'm not prepared to take a deal that does not meet what Britain needs.I'm in Brussels where I'm negotiating hard for Britain. I'm clear, I'm not prepared to take a deal that does not meet what Britain needs.
1.30pm GMT1.30pm GMT
13:3013:30
Cameron: 'battling for Britain'Cameron: 'battling for Britain'
Cameron has arrived at the talks insisting he won’t take agree a deal that “does not meet what we need.”Cameron has arrived at the talks insisting he won’t take agree a deal that “does not meet what we need.”
Speaking to reporters in Brussels he said he would be “battling for Britain”. He added: “ I will not take a deal that does not meet what we need. With good will and hard work, we can get a good deal for Britain.”Speaking to reporters in Brussels he said he would be “battling for Britain”. He added: “ I will not take a deal that does not meet what we need. With good will and hard work, we can get a good deal for Britain.”
#brexit cameron arrives with a mouthful of martial metaphors. battling for britain. fighting. it will be hard#brexit cameron arrives with a mouthful of martial metaphors. battling for britain. fighting. it will be hard
1.21pm GMT1.21pm GMT
13:2113:21
Kevin RawlinsonKevin Rawlinson
BBC journalists have been given guidelines to govern their coverage of the EU referendum in a bid to ensure impartiality, writes Kevin Rawlinson.BBC journalists have been given guidelines to govern their coverage of the EU referendum in a bid to ensure impartiality, writes Kevin Rawlinson.
They have been told they will be expected to ensure “broad balance” between the two sides of the debate, while also taking into account differing agendas within the same campaign.They have been told they will be expected to ensure “broad balance” between the two sides of the debate, while also taking into account differing agendas within the same campaign.
They will not be obliged to make sure that the views of the two official campaign groups are given equal exposure at all times, but will be required to focus on “finding ‘broad balance’ between the arguments”.They will not be obliged to make sure that the views of the two official campaign groups are given equal exposure at all times, but will be required to focus on “finding ‘broad balance’ between the arguments”.
The guidelines read: “There may be circumstances in which other voices, beyond the formal representatives, are relevant to the arguments: these too should be weighed in terms of the broad balance.”The guidelines read: “There may be circumstances in which other voices, beyond the formal representatives, are relevant to the arguments: these too should be weighed in terms of the broad balance.”
Related: BBC journalists given EU referendum rules to ensure impartialityRelated: BBC journalists given EU referendum rules to ensure impartiality
1.13pm GMT
13:13
Jeremy Corbyn has held talks with Labour MEP who he said “want Britain to stay in the EU for jobs and workers rights”.
In Brussels and have met with @UKLabour MEPs who want Britain to stay in the EU for jobs and workers' rights pic.twitter.com/4j3Bu0Ph5o
Note that Corbyn couldn’t bring himself to say that he thinks that too.
He left that to Labour MEP Richard Corbett.
Met @jeremycorbyn today who confirmed @UKLabour’s unequivocal position to stay in EU irrespective of Cameron reforms pic.twitter.com/7BLRBm05eA
Updated
at 1.15pm GMT
1.10pm GMT
13:10
Tusk: 'make-or-break summit'
European Council president Donald Tusk outlined the seriousness of the talks.
“This is a make-or-break summit, I have no doubt,” he told reporters in Brussels.
1.02pm GMT
13:02
Philip Oltermann
If David Cameron does walk away from Brussels with the deal he wanted, it may be largely due to one of the eurocrats the British press takes such joy in rubbishing, writes Philip Olterman in Berlin.
According to Süddeutsche Zeitung, the “man most likely to save Cameron’s skin” is one Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, who got a masters in international relations from the London School of Economics in 1990.
During the most heated phase of the negotiations, the general secretary at the European Council, a former Danish ambassador in Beijing, emerged as one bureaucrat who could translate Britain’s blustering demands into the appropriate legalese, finding loopholes where others thought they didn’t exist.
When Cameron curtly said there would be no more free benefits, it was Tranholm-Mikkelsen who dived deep into the EU treaties to pull section D2(b) with reference to guideline 492/2011 like a rabbit out of a hat, enabling Britain to curtail benefits for newly arrived EU migrants. “Only a few months ago everyone thought that wouldn’t be possible”, writes Süddeutsche’s EU correspondent Daniel Brössler.
Updated
at 1.40pm GMT
12.35pm GMT
12:35
Jennifer Rankin
Jennifer Rankin has helpful jargon buster on the proposed deal.
The emergency brake
What does it mean? The UK could suspend in-work benefits for EU migrants if exceptional numbers put strain on social services.
What does it really mean? The European commission, rather than the British government, would control the brake and it couldn’t be used until EU legislation was amended, which could could take anywhere between 3-12 months - not exactly an emergency.
The euro emergency brake
What does it mean? The UK (or another non eurozone member state) can stop new economic regulations affecting the single currency and force further discussions among EU leaders.
What does it really mean? The eurozone, which 19 countries of the EU 28 have joined, will still be able to outvote non eurozone countries. The eurozone will not give the UK a permanent veto, so this emergency brake does not live up to the name.
The red card
What does it mean? If 55% of national parliaments dislike a new EU law they can show it the red card, banishing the proposal.
What does it really mean? Anyone expecting EU lawmaking to become more like a Chelsea away game should prepare to be disappointed. Governments acting together already have the power to block EU legislation. Legislatures show little interest in using orange and red cards that give them similar powers to force a rethink of EU laws.
Ever-closer union
What does it mean? The EU treaty speaks of an “ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe”.
What does it really mean? The treaty motto is the bane of Eurosceptics, who see a plot to draw the UK into a federal superstate. In fact, ever-closer union already comes with an important caveat agreed by EU leaders in 2014. “The concept of ever closer union allows for different paths of integration for different countries, allowing those that want to deepen integration to move ahead, while respecting the wish of those who do not want to deepen any further.”
Competitiveness
What does it really mean? Boosting competitiveness is the Brussels equivalent of getting behind hardworking families: nobody can be against it.
What does it really mean? The text of the UK deal is vague enough for all EU member states to sign up to - the draft refers to “repealing unnecessary regulation”, (rather than repealing necessary regulation?) and “an ambitious trade policy” (instead of an unambitious one?). Member states will fall out over what competitiveness means in practice, but that is a debate for another day.
12.27pm GMT
12:27
Spanish MEP Enrique Calvet Chambon urges European citizens to resist the “blackmail of the United Kingdom” by considering the historic purpose of the European project.
“A more integrated Europe is absolutely indispensable,” he says in a YouTube message.
He also urged Europe not to return to the nationalism of the last century. “You have to get a historical point of view for our future, and not to get small negotiations for political interests in the short term,” Calvet Chambon said.
In an earlier video he said Europe was facing an “emergency moment” in the face of the UK’s “intolerable blackmail”.
Updated
at 12.28pm GMT
12.08pm GMT
12:08
A tale of two cities ... Contrasting BBC voxpops in London and Brussels reveal a stark difference in the level of awareness about Britain’s relationship with Europe.
In one of the cities there was a staggering level of public ignorance. In the another people were willing to talk about the merits of Cameron’s plans to restrict in-work benefits to EU migrants through an emergency brake.
No prizes for guessing which is which.
Brussels ...
London ...
11.45am GMT
11:45
Brussels insiders have not been impressed by Cameron’s attempts at deal making, according to a poll by Politico. The survey of 77 of European and US policymakers, found that 62% rated Cameron’s performance either poor or average.
Only 16% rated Cameron’s deal making good or excellent.
One said: “He seems to think that when he’s at home, no one in Europe hears what he says!”
11.29am GMT
11:29
Rowena Mason
Rowena Mason has more on Lord Kinnock’s comments.
David Cameron’s renegotiation is of seismic importance for the future of the EU as other countries are facing the risk of eurosceptic “contagion” if Britain leaves, Lord Kinnock, the former Labour leader and EU commissioner, has claimed.
The senior Labour figure, who is a prominent campaigner for the UK to remain in the EU, said the summit starting in Brussels on Thursday is a pivotal moment for Britain and the rest of Europe, which needs to contain growing anti-EU feeling in nationalist parties across the continent.
“The effects are seismic,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. While the question of Brexit matters primarily for Britain, the deal is also the focus of 27 other democracies for the next two days, he said. “It has also got significance for the rest of the EU and that is the possibility of contagion,” Kinnock added.
“I think particularly the Front National in France and the AfD in Germany and the Polish and Hungarian elements that would like to draw up their own agenda and either partially or wholly withdraw. That is concentrating minds and making people realise the massive implications of completing a deal.”
Related: UK renegotiations have 'seismic' significance for EU, says Lord Kinnock
11.18am GMT
11:18
A French senator has urged Europe not to give into British “blackmail”. Claude Kern, a member of the centre right Union of Democrats and Independents, warned that the European Council was once again being sucked into Brexit.
He said the UK’s “Brexit blackmail” is “unacceptable and reveals the ingratitude of the British.”
In a Facebook posting he asked: “What right does the UK have to tell Europe to give up on our European project?”
Kern said that giving into Britain’s demands would result in the dislocation of the EU.
10.57am GMT
10:57
Juncker confident of a deal
Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission president, said he was confident a deal could be reached but conceded that issues remained to be agreed.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels he said: “I remain quite confident that we will have a deal during this European Council. We have to sort out a certain number of questions. And I’m convinced that Britain will be a constructive and active member of the European Union.”
He added: “We don’t know exactly how things are going to play out. That remains to be seen.”
Updated
at 11.00am GMT