THE GUARDIAN: Snubbed by Hollande and Merkel, the PM is seen as having little chance of being in power in 2015 to force a rewrite of Britain's EU status
Angela Merkel and François Hollande have rejected David Cameron's invitation. He wanted them to take part in a government survey assessing the impact of European Union laws and regulations on the UK and other member states. The prime minister shouldn't be surprised by the snub – he had already been warned, notably by the Polish foreign minister speaking in Oxford last year, that there would be no encouragement from Europe for those in London who want Britain left isolated on the fringes of the EU.
Lest the British government be encouraged to play on any perceived differences between Berlin and Paris, the two most powerful EU heads of government co-ordinated their response very closely. The survey itself – an initiative of the Foreign Office launched in 2012 – is a lengthy and bland questionnaire designed to identify areas of policy where there might be public support for Britain pulling out of existing EU commitments.
The survey is one part of a carefully orchestrated campaign designed to lead up to a possible referendum on EU membership, to be held towards the end of 2017. This, of course, will be well after the next general election and is designed to follow on what London expects will be a major new EU constitutional treaty to give the Euro area sweeping new powers.
The prime minister's strategy therefore depends on him successfully clearing three critical hurdles. First: survive as leader of the Conservative party up to the general election. Second: win the next UK election with a clear overall Tory majority. Third: trade demands for the UK to be given a special semi-detached status in the EU in return for not blocking a new treaty for euro-area economic and political union. » | John Palmer | Tuesday, April 02, 2013
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