Merkel ready to negotiate new terms on UK’s EU membership

As David Cameron and Angela Merkel had a dinner meeting scheduled on Wednesday night, European media widely report on the UK’s demands and the possible consequences of a ‘Brexit’. During his visit, David Cameron wrote a guest article in Bild, stating his demands for changes within the European Union and arguing that the UK’s concerns are partly shared by Germany. His demands include a reduction of bureaucracy, equality between euro and non-euro states, more influence for national parliaments, and limited access to social benefits for migrants.

Politiken.dk writes that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her willingness to negotiate new terms for Britain’s EU membership, if this is what it takes to keep Britain in the EU. The Times of Malta also reports that Ms Merkel wants talks to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s membership to produce a “reasonable package” that would keep Britain in the bloc.

In Croatia, Večernji list interprets this as a direct signal from the Chancellor that she is not against any reform of the EU, provided it does not violate the freedom of movement. Also to Mr Cameron’s advantage, Thomas Ludwig writes in Handelsblatt that the CSU supports Mr Cameron’s demands for changes in the European Union, particularly his demand to strengthen national parliaments.

Speaking in Amsterdam, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny urged UK voters to stay in the EU, saying the EU would be very weakened if they decided to quit, the Irish Times reports. However, in a joint comment piece for The Daily Telegraph, UKIP Leader Nigel Farage, Tory MP Tom Pursglove, and Labour MP Kate Hoey argue that David Cameron’s renegotiation with Europe will amount to nothing, and that it is essential to break free from the grasp of Europe.

If London bankers present a grim outcome in case of a Brexit, a number of multinational companies expect the City to benefit from freedom from restrictive EU rules, Algemeen Dagblad reports in the Netherlands. In Sweden, Minister for Finance Anders Borg stated that if Britain isolates itself from the rest of Europe, economic and political repercussions will be shocking, and that a Brexit would weaken Europe’s position in international competition, Verkkouutiset reports.

In his opinion column in L’Observer, Pierre Haski also writes that a Brexit would create a “perfect storm” which could mean the end of the EU as we know it. Whatever the outcome of the UK referendum, he argues that the only hope of avoiding a collapse of the EU is to impose a multi-tier Europe. Moreover in Le Soir, Economist Paul De Grauwe writes that Brexit would make it clear the EU was all only an illusion.