EU renogotiations: David Cameron strikes 'unanimous agreement' on Britain's future in Europe

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Independent

David Cameron has struck a deal with other EU leaders over Britain’s future in Europe after marathon talks in Brussels.

Donald Tusk, President of the European Council announced the agreement after more than 24 hours of agonising discussions over British demands to curb benefits for migrant workers.

“Unanimous support for new settlement for the UK in Europe,” he said after a final agreement was signed off at dinner of 28 EU members in Brussels.

The agreement, which has yet to be published, is expected to see Britain compromise on key elements of Mr Cameron’s demands to restrict welfare payments to Eastern European workers.


Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/eu-renogotiations-david-cameron-unanimous-agreement-britain-europe-a6885206.html

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Details in The Guardian's live blog:

• A proposed emergency brake on EU migrants claiming in work benefits will last for seven years. It will apply on an individual for no more than four years, and will be phased out after the first year. But the UK will be allowed to apply the overall restrictions for seven years.

• Restrictions on child benefit for EU migrants will kick in at a reduced rate – indexed to the rate of a migrant’s home country – for new migrants with immediate effect. Existing EU migrants will be paid at the lower rate from 2020. Eastern European countries had hoped to exempt existing migrants altogether.

• Britain has a specific opt-out from the EU’s historic commitment to forge an ‘ever closer union of the peoples of Europe’.

• One country – effectively Britain – will have the right to impose a handbrake to refer contentious financial regulation to a meeting of EU leaders in the European Council.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2016/feb/19/eu-summit-all-night-negotiations-deal-cameron-live?page=with:block-56c78ee3e4b00221da78ac48#block-56c78ee3e4b00221da78ac48

[ananda]

1. Cameron ... just so ugly.

Sometimes I wonder how such stingy greedmongers
keep power for so long.

[iandhr]

3. As someone who spent a semester aboard studying the EU...

... it's a pretty good target. It's an institution that's pretty undemocratic.


The political right in Europe has know successfully tapped into legitimate anger that a bunch of unelected people in Brussels have all this power.


If the left can't find a way to respond by offering reforms like making the power positions in Brussless elected you will continue to see more right-wing a**h**les in power across Europe.

[redruddyred]

4. is denying welfare to migrants "ugly"?

i understand that's a hotbutton issue in our own country as well.
lots to dislike about cameron, but what with the sorry state of the nhs, etc, i think it's sensible to demand to allocate taxpayer money better.

[christx30]

6. It's why there are thousands of migrants

hanging out in Calais, trying to get into Britian via the Chunnel. Because of the welfare package that Britian offers.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141160672

[840high]

7. Agree.

[MNBrewer]

2. Britain should exit the EU

Greece should have done it long ago.

[branford]

5. Unlike Greece, a Brexit could mean the real beginning of the dissolution of the EU,

particularly now as it faces some of its greatest tests since its inception, including the slow collapse of the Shengen zone in response to the refugee crisis.

[Little Tich]

8. Britain can't have the cake and eat it too.

In the long run, this will only mean that Britain will become a lesser member of the EU. The ever closer union will happen with or without Britain.

[branford]

10. It certainly can.

Britain was already exempt from the Euro and Schengen, as are other countries, and it never was much of a problem. Waivers and exceptions are not unusual, particularly among the early members of the EU.

Further, the "ever closer union" is failing regardless of any issues with the UK. One need only read the news concerning the migrant crisis and disintegration of Schengen, threats and military adventurism from Russia in the east, or recall the very recent Greek Euro crisis, to realize the vast and pervasive problems confronting the EU. The leaders of the EU even routinely acknowledge the democratic deficit and other problems, yet reforms are nowhere to be seen. The increasing rise of right of center parties across the EU among other issues will destroy the EU far faster and more thoroughly that any problems with Britain.

If anything, the EU needs the UK to maintain it's relevance, strength and influence, and that's precisely why they had to swallow the compromises (which still may not prevent a Brexit) when the EU Council wouldn't entertain any Greek requests months earlier. The United Kingdom is a nation of 65 million people (the third largest EU country after Germany and France), the world's fifth largest economy (second largest in the EU next to Germany), the world's fifth most powerful military (and one of only two significant armed forces in the EU other than France), the UK is a major importer and exporter, particularly as a destination for other EU member products, it's one of the world's primary immigration (legal and illegal) destinations, etc. From an EU perspective, a reluctant and cantankerous Britain is far, far than no Britain at all.

[pampango]

9. UKIP's Farage slams "Dave's Deal" to stay in the EU

British anti-EU leader slams 'Dave's deal'

UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage on Friday said the agreement on Prime Minister David Cameron's demands for EU reforms at a key summit in Brussels was "not worth the paper it's written on".

"This deal that he's done does not address the fundamental issues that people care about," Farage told an audience of around 1,500 people at a pro-Brexit campaign event in central London.

"Dave's deal is not worth the paper that it's written on," he told cheering supporters, shortly after news broke that there had been an agreement in Brussels.

Fellow Conservative MP David Davis said it was time for Britain "to take control of its own destiny".

http://news.yahoo.com/british-anti-eu-leader-slams-daves-deal-222805508.html

I don't suppose it is a surprise that the head of the UK Independence Party, which is very much anti-EU, would react this way to any government announcement that might make it more likely the the UK would stay in the EU.

Britain's Labour Party and the Trade Union Confederation oppose Brexit largely to prevent the weakening of Britain's labor laws which are part of the EU charter. I have not seen yet whether labor rights were included in Cameron's deal with the EU.

[davidpdx]

11. Brits need to wise up and get rid of Cameron

They are probably stuck with him for awhile.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. If he loses the referendum, he'll resign (or get forced out by the party)

If he wins, he'll stay until 2020 (the next election) or he resigns - which he did say he'd do before the election, since he said he didn't think a PM ought to run for a 3rd term. My guess is that would be fairly close to the election.