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European leaders strike deal to try to keep Britain in E.U. European leaders strike deal to try to keep Britain in E.U.
(about 2 hours later)
BRUSSELS — Round-the-clock negotiations between British Prime Minister David Cameron and his fellow European Union leaders yielded a deal late Friday night that they hope will keep Britain from becoming the first country to leave the 28-member bloc. BRUSSELS — Prime Minister David Cameron vowed late Friday to wage a relentless campaign to keep the United Kingdom in the European Union after striking a deal with fellow leaders that he said would transform the country's relationship with the 28-member bloc.
The United Kingdom is expected to hold a referendum on the matter in June. A British exit — popularly known as “Brexit” — is strongly opposed by all E.U. leaders, Cameron included, and it could have disastrous consequences for the future of a body that has defined Europe’s post-war order. The deal, which followed two days of round-the-clock negotiations in Brussels, paves the way for a June referendum in Britain on the country’s long-ambivalent membership. If Britain leaves, it would become the first country to ever do so, and its departure could trigger a broader unraveling at a time when the union faces greater challenges than at any time in decades.
Cameron had demanded far-reaching concessions from his E.U. counterparts, saying that he needed to prove to his increasingly populist voters that an institution often seen in Britain as an overbearing infringement on national sovereignty could loosen its grip. But continental leaders, who all support keeping Britain in the club, had driven a tough bargain, and some had bridled at what they regarded as a British attempt to blackmail the union into giving the United Kingdom a special deal.
In the end, Cameron received significantly less than what he had initially sought. But he still claimed victory Friday night, and immediately pivoted to what is certain to be an emotional and bitterly fought campaign over the country’s future in the body that has defined Europe’s post-war order.
“The British people must now decide whether to stay in this reformed European Union or to leave,” he said. “This will be a once-in-a-generation moment to shape the destiny of our country.”
Speaking in a Brussels news conference, Cameron then made a forceful case for Britain to stay, saying that the deal he had negotiated addressed the country’s — and his own — misgivings about an institution he has often derided as bureaucratic and dysfunctional.
“I do not love Brussels; I love Britain,” he said. But staying in the E.U. gives his country “the best of both worlds,” with the opportunity to keep the benefits of E.U. membership while “staying out of the parts of Europe that don’t work for us.” An exit, he said, represents “a leap in the dark.”
Campaigners for a British exit — popularly known as Brexit — vehemently disagreed. Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-E.U. U.K. Independence Party, tweeted that the prime minister’s agreement was “a truly pathetic deal. Let’s Leave the EU, control our borders, run our own country and stop handing £55m [$80 million] every day to Brussels.”
The Brexit campaigners are not limited to Cameron’s political foes. Some of his top ministers are expected to defy Cameron and campaign for an exit, including Justice Secretary Michael Gove. London Mayor Boris Johnson, another leading Conservative who has made no secret that he covets Cameron’s job, has also toyed with supporting the “out” campaign — and will likely announce his allegiance “one way or the other” on Saturday.
Polls once showed a clear majority for “in.” But they have tightened markedly in recent months, and most now show that the contest could go either way. The United States and other major British allies have all lined up in favor of Britain staying in, arguing the country’s influence will be vastly diminished if Britain gets out.
Cameron did not give a date for the vote Friday night, but is widely expected to be held on June 23. The prime minister, who will convene a meeting of his Cabinet and officially launch the campaign on Saturday morning, promised in last year’s general election that he would give voters an up-or-down choice on the E.U. by the end of 2017.
If Cameron does opt for a June referendum, it will be because he and his top advisers believe that the risk of Brexit only grows the longer the country goes without a vote. But holding the contest in the summer, when the continent could be inundated by hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, is a risky bet.
[What’s a ‘Brexit’? A guide to Britain’s E.U. drama.][What’s a ‘Brexit’? A guide to Britain’s E.U. drama.]
Cameron said after the deal was announced that the agreed package of E.U. reforms was “enough” for him to recommend that Britain remain in the union. European Union officials expressed hope Friday that they had given Cameron enough to secure an “in” vote. “I deeply believe that the United Kingdom needs Europe, and Europe needs the United Kingdom,” said European Council President Donald Tusk. “To break the link now would be totally against our mutual interest.”
“I do not love Brussels; I love Britain,” he said at a late-night news conference. But staying in the E.U. gives his country “the best of both worlds,” he said. But Tusk also acknowledged that Britain has long been a special case, retaining its membership but staying out of the common currency and the free-movement Schengen zone. In a pointed reference to Cameron’s comments, Tusk concluded his remarks late Friday by saying “I love Britain and I love Brussels.”
He indicated that he would announce a date for the referendum — widely expected to be June 23 — following a meeting with his cabinet members back in London on Saturday morning. European leaders who gathered this week in Brussels, the E.U. headquarters, were reluctant to give Cameron the sort of wide-ranging concessions he had demanded, and the result was 40 hours of at-times heated talks. The deal was originally supposed to be sealed Friday over “an English breakfast,” with E.U. leaders gathered around a table piled high with bacon and beans. But as negotiations that began on Thursday afternoon hit a series of snags overnight, plans for breakfast were pushed back to an English brunch. Then lunch. Then high tea. The presumably famished leaders finally sat down to a dinner of veal fillets and polenta late Friday night — and finally agreed on a document that bridged the wider-than-expected gaps.
European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters: “I deeply believe that the United Kingdom needs Europe, and Europe needs the United Kingdom. To break the link now would be totally against our mutual interest.” The deal gives Britain a special exemption from Europe’s vow of “ever-closer union”; establishes financial protections for countries that do not use the euro; creates a national veto over E.U. legislation and, most controversially, gives Britain permission to limit benefits paid to immigrants from within the E.U.
“We have done all we could not to let that happen, but the final decision is in the hands of the British people,” said Tusk, a former Polish prime minister. “Let me finish by saying I love Britain and I love Brussels.”
European leaders who gathered this week in Brussels, the E.U. headquarters, were reluctant to give Cameron the sort of wide-ranging concessions he previously said he needed to sell continued E.U. membership to his increasingly populist-minded voters. A deal that was supposed to be celebrated at an “English breakfast” Friday morning instead was left undone through more than 24 hours of nearly continuous talks in which both sides struggled to bridge wider-than-expected gaps.
A breakthrough finally came as European leaders dined over veal fillets and polenta late Friday evening. In the end, Cameron received concessions that amounted to far less than the fundamental renegotiation of Britain’s relationship with the E.U. that he had promised. But he was expected to declare victory nonetheless.
Still, it remains an open question whether Cameron received enough to sway his electorate, which polls show is nearly evenly divided on the question of whether to stick with the E.U. Brexit advocates insist that the country is being weighed down by its ties to the continent, and particularly by the open borders to European immigration that are required under E.U. treaties.
The most controversial element of Cameron’s renegotiation demands was a proposal to limit government benefits for workers who move to Britain from elsewhere in the E.U. Eastern European countries, which are the source of much of that migration, waged a tough battle to water down any changes.
The deal was originally supposed to be sealed Friday over breakfast, with E.U. leaders gathered around a table piled high with bacon and beans.
But as negotiations that began on Thursday afternoon hit a series of snags overnight, plans for breakfast were pushed back to an English brunch. Then lunch. Then high tea. Late Friday, the presumably famished leaders finally sat down to dinner — and launched into another long night of talks.
Seated around the elaborate ballroom table, Cameron wore white shirt-sleeves alongside his suit-jacket-clad counterparts. The mood appeared jovial, though that masked some of the bitter division that defined the negotiations.
Cameron is expected to use the fraught nature of the talks to demonstrate that he battled to the end with European counterparts to get the best possible deal for Britain.
Experts said there was undoubtedly an element of theatrics involved in the through-the-night negotiations.
“The negotiations have to be difficult to create the sense of having gained something big,” said London School of Economics political analyst Tony Travers.
But already on Friday, British Euroskeptics were lining up to proclaim the long and protracted talks as Exhibit A in their portrayal of the E.U. as a hopelessly dysfunctional institution that is beyond hope for serious reform.
[Europe wants Britain to stay in the E.U., but not at any cost]
Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-E.U. U.K. Independence Party, wrote on Twitter that Cameron has “gone from talking about fundamental change to holding out a begging bowl for minor concessions.”
Indeed, the changes agreed on Friday would not fundamentally alter the E.U. But the stakes are high, nonetheless: Cameron has long said he believes that Britain should stay in the E.U. only if the union can be reformed to better serve British interests. The prime minister will now have to take the concessions won this week, and make the case to British voters that they should stick with the union in a referendum widely expected this June.
European officials have uniformly said they want to keep Britain in the club. But they have also bridled at what many regard as a British attempt to blackmail the union into giving the United Kingdom a special deal.
In a case laid out last year, Cameron proposed four changes: an exemption from Europe’s vow to pursue “ever-closer union”; protections for members that do not use the euro; a national veto over E.U. legislation; and, most controversially, permission to limit benefits paid to immigrants from within the E.U.
All four measures would loosen the bonds of continental integration, and each proved a difficult sell to reach the unanimous agreement that the E.U. requires. The French pushed back against attempts to weaken financial regulations. Eastern Europeans called foul on benefit restrictions. The Germans fretted that abandoning ever-closer union could scupper the European project.All four measures would loosen the bonds of continental integration, and each proved a difficult sell to reach the unanimous agreement that the E.U. requires. The French pushed back against attempts to weaken financial regulations. Eastern Europeans called foul on benefit restrictions. The Germans fretted that abandoning ever-closer union could scupper the European project.
[Has Prince William entered Britain’s debate over leaving Europe?]
Other variables also came into play, as well. Before signing off on a deal, Greek negotiators reportedly sought a promise that the E.U. would not shut the country’s northern border to refugees. Such a move, which several E.U. members have advocated, could effectively trap thousands of asylum seekers in Greece and prevent them from reaching the countries in northern Europe where they hope to settle.Other variables also came into play, as well. Before signing off on a deal, Greek negotiators reportedly sought a promise that the E.U. would not shut the country’s northern border to refugees. Such a move, which several E.U. members have advocated, could effectively trap thousands of asylum seekers in Greece and prevent them from reaching the countries in northern Europe where they hope to settle.
Despite the obstacles, some E.U. leaders were outspoken in arguing that the E.U. would suffer if Britain ends up bolting from a union that has been decades in the making. It remains an open question whether Cameron received enough to sway his electorate. Brexit advocates insist that the country is being weighed down by its ties to the continent, and particularly by the open borders to European immigration that are required under E.U. treaties.
“We all, of course, pursue our national interests. But we should also bear in mind that should Britain leave, we all get nothing,” said Estonian prime minister Taavi Roivas as he arrived for the Friday talks. Cameron said Friday that the changes to benefits law will help limit net migration to the U.K., which is at an all-time high. Despite vigorous objections from Eastern European leaders, Cameron won the right to trigger “an emergency brake,” with workers having to pay into Britain’s system for four years before they can receive certain benefits.
European leaders are mindful that a British exit could be just the start of a broader unraveling, with Euroskeptic forces in their own countries likely to be emboldened if one of the cornerstones of the E.U. project departs. [Europe wants Britain to stay in the E.U., but not at any cost]
Even before the negotiations were complete, Cameron was facing defections. One of the most senior members of his cabinet, Michael Gove, will join the “out” campaign, the BBC and other media outlets reported Friday evening. European leaders generally played down the extent of the changes, with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker describing them as narrowly targeted. Experts agreed that the changes will not fundamentally alter the E.U. But much now depends on how they are received in Britain.
[Has Prince William entered Britain’s debate over leaving Europe?]
European leaders are mindful that a British exit could be just the start of a broader disintegration, with Euroskeptic forces in their own countries likely to be emboldened if one of the cornerstones of the E.U. project departs.
Even before the negotiations were complete, Cameron was facing defections at home. One of the most senior members of his Cabinet, Gove, will join the “out” campaign, the BBC and other media outlets reported Friday evening.
In his news conference late Friday, Cameron described Gove as one of his “oldest and closest friends” who has wanted to get Britain out of the E.U. for about three decades. He said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by Gove’s decision.In his news conference late Friday, Cameron described Gove as one of his “oldest and closest friends” who has wanted to get Britain out of the E.U. for about three decades. He said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by Gove’s decision.
Most of the government’s other top officials were expected to stick with the prime minister and support the “in” campaign. But some leading Conservatives have yet to show their cards, including London Mayor Boris Johnson, who would give “out” a charismatic potential leader if he ends up siding with Brexit. Most of the government’s other top officials were expected to stick with the prime minister and support the “in” campaign. But some leading Conservatives have yet to show their cards, including Johnson, who would give “out” a charismatic potential leader if he ends up siding with Brexit.
In any case, Cameron told reporters, politicians may not significantly sway the vote. “In the end, this isn’t the politicians’ show,” he said. “It is the people’s show.” Cameron played down the impact that any one politician might have on the outcome, noting that the politics of in-versus-out cross party lines.
Although the referendum is expected to be held June 23, the prime minister technically has until the end of 2017 to hold a vote that he promised during last year's general election. “In the end, this isn’t the politicians’ show,” he said. “It is the people’s show.”
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Karla Adam and Daniela Deane in London contributed to this report. Adam reported from London.