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| David Cameron Outlines Demands for Staying in E.U. | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| LONDON — After days of conflicting signals about his attitude toward the European Union, Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday formally outlined his approach to negotiations with other member countries ahead of a crucial referendum that will determine whether Britain stays in the 28-nation bloc. | |
| His demands included a safeguard to prevent countries that use the euro from discriminating economically against Britain, which has retained the pound; a stronger role for national parliaments in European Union decision-making; and an end to Britain’s legal commitment, as a signatory to European Union treaties, to pursue “ever closer union,” which conservatives see as a threat to national sovereignty. | |
| Finally, he said that Britain should have the right to restrict welfare entitlements, including tax benefits for low-income workers, for four years for migrants arriving from other European countries — a departure from current European rules that stipulate that citizens of all countries in the bloc should be treated equally. | |
| Mr. Cameron’s four-part announcement was the opening parry in his effort to renegotiate his country’s terms of membership to get a “better deal” before he holds the vote, which must take place by the end of 2017. | |
| The outcome of the referendum will shape Britain’s place in the world, and, should Britons vote to leave, it could destabilize the process of European integration that began in a war-ravaged continent in the 1950s. | The outcome of the referendum will shape Britain’s place in the world, and, should Britons vote to leave, it could destabilize the process of European integration that began in a war-ravaged continent in the 1950s. |
| Mr. Cameron told British voters that their decision would be a crucial and would be the final say on the issue — a “once-in-a-generation choice.” He said: “You will hold this country’s destiny in your hands, this is a huge decision for our country, perhaps the biggest we will make in our lifetimes.” | |
| Speaking in central London, Mr. Cameron warned that, while Britain could survive outside the bloc, quitting it would not lead the nation automatically to a “land of milk and honey,” and that any decision to quit should be made “with our eyes open.” | |
| And he warned that, were he to fail to reach his negotiating objectives and his requests to fall on “deaf ears,” Britain “would have to think again” about membership was right for the country. | |
| Mr. Cameron outlined his arguments in an hourlong speech at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs. He was also due to send a letter to the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, giving more detail about what concessions he wants from other member countries. | |
| Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a research institute, said that Mr. Cameron was walking a diplomatic and political tightrope by trying to send out different messages to separate audiences. | Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations, a research institute, said that Mr. Cameron was walking a diplomatic and political tightrope by trying to send out different messages to separate audiences. |
| “He’s trying to communicate with his European colleagues, to make sure they understand what’s important to him,” Mr. Leonard said. “He’s also trying to communicate with those of his own supporters who want to stay in the European Union.” | “He’s trying to communicate with his European colleagues, to make sure they understand what’s important to him,” Mr. Leonard said. “He’s also trying to communicate with those of his own supporters who want to stay in the European Union.” |
| “He’s trying to have a prediscussion with the British public,” Mr. Leonard said, “because he wants to make sure that what he says now lays the foundation for a successful referendum.” | “He’s trying to have a prediscussion with the British public,” Mr. Leonard said, “because he wants to make sure that what he says now lays the foundation for a successful referendum.” |
| Until Tuesday, Mr. Cameron had limited his renegotiation objectives to broad terms, a tactic seemingly intended to maximize his room to maneuver and to blunt criticism from those who have already decided that Britain should leave the bloc. | |
| European integration has been a bitterly divisive issue in the Conservative Party for a quarter of a century, ever since Margaret Thatcher was deposed by her own lawmakers, partly because of her growing antipathy toward European integration. | European integration has been a bitterly divisive issue in the Conservative Party for a quarter of a century, ever since Margaret Thatcher was deposed by her own lawmakers, partly because of her growing antipathy toward European integration. |
| The British public remains roughly split on the merits of membership in the bloc, according to opinion polls. | The British public remains roughly split on the merits of membership in the bloc, according to opinion polls. |
| Before the release of Mr. Cameron’s letter, his minister for Europe, David Lidington, said that he had warned the prime minister about being too precise with his demands. | Before the release of Mr. Cameron’s letter, his minister for Europe, David Lidington, said that he had warned the prime minister about being too precise with his demands. |
| A detailed wish list, with negotiating “red lines,” would come to be seen “either as an opening bid, from which you can, of course, be negotiated down, or it is seen by another group of people as an absolute minimum that you must get, and any retreat from that is a devastating reverse,” Mr. Lidington said. | A detailed wish list, with negotiating “red lines,” would come to be seen “either as an opening bid, from which you can, of course, be negotiated down, or it is seen by another group of people as an absolute minimum that you must get, and any retreat from that is a devastating reverse,” Mr. Lidington said. |
| That reflects the complexity of the negotiations. If Mr. Cameron’s list of demands looks too modest, his opponents would most likely denounce the renegotiation as the sham they have already predicted. | That reflects the complexity of the negotiations. If Mr. Cameron’s list of demands looks too modest, his opponents would most likely denounce the renegotiation as the sham they have already predicted. |
| Yet Mr. Cameron knows that if he asks too much of other European leaders, he will damage his prospects of getting a favorable deal. They want to be reassured that Mr. Cameron is pragmatic, that he intends to negotiate in good faith, and that, providing the renegotiation is successful, he will lead the campaign to stay in the bloc. | Yet Mr. Cameron knows that if he asks too much of other European leaders, he will damage his prospects of getting a favorable deal. They want to be reassured that Mr. Cameron is pragmatic, that he intends to negotiate in good faith, and that, providing the renegotiation is successful, he will lead the campaign to stay in the bloc. |
| European heads of government are expected to discuss Britain’s demands when they meet in Brussels next month. | European heads of government are expected to discuss Britain’s demands when they meet in Brussels next month. |
| Mr. Leonard argued that, ultimately, the issues raised by Mr. Cameron in his renegotiation, while significant, were not of sufficient importance to outweigh the benefits of membership in the bloc. | Mr. Leonard argued that, ultimately, the issues raised by Mr. Cameron in his renegotiation, while significant, were not of sufficient importance to outweigh the benefits of membership in the bloc. |
| “It’s a bit like threatening to walk out on a marriage of four decades because your husband doesn’t put the top on the toothpaste tube,” he said. | “It’s a bit like threatening to walk out on a marriage of four decades because your husband doesn’t put the top on the toothpaste tube,” he said. |