EU leaders not content with proposals to keep Britain in bloc
(VOVworld) - No European leaders are satisfied so far with the proposals for a deal to keep Britain in the EU, which Prime Minister David Cameron hopes to secure at a summit this month, according to AFP.
|
EC President Donald Tusk (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Initial reactions from European capitals show that "nobody's happy" with the draft agreement which European Union president Donald Tusk unveiled on Monday. French President Francois Hollande warned on Wednesday that there should be no more changes to the deal at the summit itself, and has expressed concern over Tusk's proposals for protections for non-eurozone countries. Spain is meanwhile dissatisfied with the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU headed by Jean-Claude Juncker, for not taking a tougher line on Cameron's demands for a limit to benefits for EU migrants working in Britain. Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia have previously expressed concerns over the welfare plan, saying it would discriminate against hundreds of thousands of their citizens who currently work in Britain. Their dissatisfaction so far is a sign that Tusk's proposal is fair and balanced, but also an indication that it could be hard to reach a deal at the February 18-19 meeting of the 28 EU leaders.