Cameron's Deal

From the BBC:

"EU referendum: Draft reform deal worth fighting for, says Cameron"

 

David Cameron says the draft deal aimed at keeping Britain in the EU will deliver the "substantial change" he has been demanding to how it is run. But the UK prime minister said there was "detail to be worked on" before a crunch summit on 18-19 February.  The deal, which includes an "emergency brake" on migrant benefits, paves the way for the UK's EU referendum to take place as early as June.

Mr Cameron's proposed four year ban on in-work benefits for EU migrant workers could come into force immediately if the UK votes to remain in the Union.bBut it would have to be agreed by other EU nations and it would be "graduated", with more money from tax credits paid to migrants the longer they remain in the UK. It says Mr Cameron's demand to exempt Britain from the EU principle of "ever closer union" between member states would be written into a future treaty. There are also measures relating to protection for non-euro countries in the EU, a new way for member states to club together to block some new EU laws and on business regulations.

 

Did Cameron get changes he wanted?

 

Migration: The prime minister got his emergency welfare brake. But it is not clear how easy it will be to pull that brake or how long it will last, writes deputy political editor James Landale.

Benefits: While the in-work benefits of EU migrants will be curbed for four years if other countries agree, they will be gradually restored the longer they stay in the UK. EU migrants will be able to send child benefit back home, but would get a lower level if the cost of living in the country where the child is is lower. Mr Cameron had wanted to block all of it.

Sovereignty: The PM has secured a clear legal statement that the UK is not committed to further political integration and that the phrase "ever closer union" cannot be used to integrate the EU further. But it is not yet clear when or how this will be incorporated into the EU treaties. He has also got new powers for national parliaments to block new EU laws but the thresholds are pretty high before those powers can be used.

Competitiveness: The PM has got some language that commits the EU to strengthen the internal market and cut red tape. But they have been promising to do that for years.

Protecting non-euro countries: There will be a new mechanism to get the eurozone to think again about decisions that could hit the City of London.

Security: The PM has got some unexpected gains, making it easier for countries to stop terror suspects coming into the country even if the threat they pose is not imminent. There will also be a crackdown to stop people using sham marriages and other loopholes to gain access to the EU. Read more: Gavin Hewitt on what PM wanted v what he got

 

 Mr Cameron will visit Poland and Denmark on Friday, as he embarks on a whirlwind charm offensive to persuade the other 27 EU leaders to sign up to the Tusk package in Brussels on February 18-19. If Mr Cameron can get an agreement in February, he is expected to hold a referendum in June on whether Britain should remain in the EU. Mr Cameron has until the end of 2017 to hold a referendum. A July or September referendum remains a possibility but a repeat of last summer's migrant crisis in the Mediterranean and eastern Europe could make Mr Cameron's job of making the case for remaining in a reformed EU more difficult.

 

 

Will other EU nations accept it?

 

The BBC's Europe Editor Katya Adler says: "My first instinct is that this is something everyone can work with.  "Eastern and Central European countries will continue to complain about the suspension of migrant in-work benefits.   "They are likely to argue that the EU has sold its principles down the river in an attempt to keep the UK in the EU.  "However it can be argued from this text that the so-called 'emergency brake' is not discriminatory because it's available for any country to use."

 

 

^ This agreement really just separates the UK from the rest of the EU even more than they already are. That's why I don't really understand why the Brits want to stay in the EU. The whole point of the EU was/is to have a unified Europe with everyone and everything equal. Having exemptions, etc. is not equal. The EU has had many problems over the more recent years and the UK is now one of them. ^

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-35467479