The EU will remain committed to "closer union" and Britain's "special case" will not lead to treaty change in the near future, Jose Manuel Barroso has warned the Prime Minister.
In a major speech the president of the European Commission acknowledged Britain's longstanding hostility to the EU but rejected David Cameron's demand for a treaty renegotiation to give the UK a special status over the next year.
"I do acknowledge that for historical, geopolitical and economic reasons the case of the UK may be seen as a special one. Precisely because of this, it would be a mistake to transform an exception for the UK into a rule for everybody else," he said.
"We can, and should, find ways to cater to the UK's specificity, in as much as this does not threaten the Union's overall coherence. But we should not confound this specificity - even if it is shared at some moments by several governments - with an overall situation of the Union."
Mr Barroso's comments, similar to those made by the German Chancellor and French President, are a setback for Mr Cameron who has asked for the EU treaty's commitment to "ever closer union" to be scrapped or amended so it does not include Britain. » | Bruno Waterfield, Brussels | Thursday, May 08, 2014
