Britain seeks a deal with the E.U. as membership hangs in the balance
Griff Witte, The Washington Post, 18.02.2016
Quotes
British Prime Minister David Cameron was locked early Friday in intense talks with his fellow European Union leaders on a deal that could set the tone for what is expected to be a bruising campaign to decide whether the United Kingdom leaves the 28-member bloc. [...]
But even as the leaders haggled, analysts said the prime minister would need to settle for an agreement that falls well short of his original intention to fundamentally renegotiate Britains relationship with the E.U.
What he will get is not revolutionary, said Janis Emmanouilidis, director of studies at the Brussels-based European Policy Center. This wont change Europe.
A British exit, however, very much would. [...]
The country has long been an ambivalent E.U. member, but it remains one of the blocs cornerstones. If the country votes to leave in a referendum expected in June, it could trigger a broader European unraveling at a time when continental unity is being strained by a refugee crisis, renewed Russian aggression, terrorist attacks and rising nationalism.
If Britain voted to leave, Emmanouilidis said, it would probably embolden anti-E.U. voices in other member states saying there is a way out. [...]
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