British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande have agreed that the draft of proposals to reshape Britain's membership in the European Union is a strong formation for the negotiations in the Brussels summit this Thursday and Friday.
The UK has been lobbying reforms to the current EU rules. The proposal includes regulatory measures on welfare benefits provided to migrants as well as afford protection to countries that do not use the euro.
"[They] agreed that we are making good progress on the UK renegotiation and that the draft text from the European Council provides a firm basis to reach agreement at this week's summit," a spokesperson of Cameron said, as quoted by ABC.
The representative added that Cameron and Hollande had "constructive discussions" on the UK renegotiation as well as matters surrounding the Syrian conflict.
The European Union is under high pressure due to the debate over Britain's future in the bloc as the region faces the onslaught of a Eurozone economic slowdown and a boiling migration crisis. To avoid adding up to the already insurmountable difficulties, the EU is trying to come to agreeable terms with regard to reforms to Britain's position so as to avoid the "real" danger of breaking up the 28-nation bloc if ever Britain left.
European Union chief Donald Tusk stated, "It is high time we started listening to each other's arguments more than to our own."
British Foreign Secretary Philipp Hammond predicts that the European Union will "lurch very much in the wrong direction" if the so called "Brexit" (British exit) materializes following the summit.
UK's EU referendum has developed a great divide between those who support Britain's membership in the bloc and those who are for Britain pulling the plug.
According to Yahoo News, however the deal turns out in the European Union summit in Brussels, David Cameron could announce the date of the referendum sooner.
PM Cameron is adamant that the EU strike an agreement close to UK's proposal. He had expressed his willingness to try again in the next summit in March if ever the agreement they arrive at on Friday fails to deliver on his demands.
Eurosceptics, however, warns that the European Parliament could veto portions of Cameron's reform package once the EU referendum has concluded. In response, Downing Street is of the view that any deal that could come out the upcoming summit will be legally binding under international law and that the European Parliament will be expected to deliver on it.
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