On 18-19 February 2016, EU Heads of State and Government will meet to discuss the UK’s EU reform agenda, with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, aiming to reach a swift and amicable solution which will allow the UK to hold its EU referendum in summer 2016.
In this extract from the upcoming postscript to the IIEA book Britain and Europe: The Endgame – An Irish Perspective, the Chairman of the IIEA, Brendan Halligan, discusses the recent developments in the UK’s EU reform negotiation. The paper analyses the recent changing dynamic in the European Council, noting that the refugee crisis and the Paris attacks of November 2015 have caused a shift towards a more conciliatory attitude among some Member States towards Mr. Cameron’s reforms.
According to Mr. Halligan, the British negotiations on membership have become a challenge to be solved by conventional diplomacy rather than by high politics in a confrontation between Britain and the other 27 Member States.
The extract can be viewed or downloaded here.
The IIEA book Britain and Europe: The Endgame – An Irish Perspective can be downloaded from the Institute website, or purchased in paperback by contacting reception@historyiiea.com.
The postscript to The Endgame will be available from the IIEA website on Thursday, 28 January.
