French president says UK cannot dictate change of pace to other countries at chilly summit with British PM in Oxfordshire
François Hollande, the French president, threw a grenade into David Cameron's EU reform plan when he warned the prime minister that a major change to the rules of the EU would trigger a referendum in France.
As the prime minister insisted at a distinctly chilly UK-France summit that he would hold a referendum in Britain on renewed EU membership terms by 2017, the French president said one country could not dictate the pace of change to others as he said treaty change was not a priority.
Cameron and Hollande clashed over the EU as they appeared at a joint press conference at RAF Brize Norton at the end of one of the frostiest UK-France summits in years.
Downing Street was angry when the Élysée Palace briefed the entire contents of the summit – covering defence, space and nuclear power co-operation – to journalists in Paris on Wednesday. The Élysée was annoyed when Grant Shapps, the Tory chairman, said recently that Hollande's economic policies were driving the French economy into the sand.
The preparations were not helped when Cameron suggested the summit should take place at Blenheim Palace. It was pointed out that this was named after the Battle of Blenheim, the Duke of Marlborough's victory over France in 1704. No 10 eventually settled on RAF Brize Norton in Cameron's Witney constituency to symbolise Anglo-French military co-operation.
The prime minister tried to create a relaxed mood by taking Hollande to lunch at the Swan Inn in Swinbrook. This was used for the scene of a famous elopement – between Lady Sybil and the chauffeur Branson in Downton Abbey.
The president's own love life was raised by the Daily Telegraph's Christopher Hope, who asked him the sort of direct question avoided by French journalists. Hope asked: "Monsieur le president, I know this is a very sensitive subject for you. Do you think your private life has made France an international joke? Are you still having an affair with Julie Gayet and do you wish she was here?"
Hollande replied: "With regard to your last question I decline to answer."
The president focused most of his remarks on the economy and on making clear French unease about Cameron's plans to use an EU treaty renegotiation – expected by Downing Street when the eurozone agrees new governance arrangements – to change the terms of Britain's EU membership. Hollande warned Cameron that a major treaty change would trigger a referendum in France as he reminded the prime minister that a referendum was (successfully) held in 1992 on the Maastricht treaty and (unsuccessfully) on the EU constitution in 2005.
Hollande said a treaty change was not a priority. He said: "France would like the eurozone to be better co-ordinated, better integrated. If there are going to be amendments to the text [treaty] we don't feel that for the time being they are urgent. We feel that revising the treaty is not a priority for the time being."
Hollande said: "The UK is perfectly free to organise a referendum, to know what their place is going to be in Europe. I perfectly respect their choice. In Europe there is a discussion under way on our own fate, how we should get organised … A change in the treaty would also involve procedures. Minor changes for instance – there we could have a parliamentary vote.
"But when you are dealing with major changes – you will remember for the single currency with the Maastricht treaty [and] we had the European constitutional treaty in 2005 – we had to have a referendum. So everybody has to assess what procedures exist. We can't just expect to follow the example of one country in Europe in order to determine the rest."
The prime minister said he was determined to hold a referendum by 2017 to approve a reform plan that he would table during treaty negotiations. Cameron said: "Clearly there will be further treaty changes coming, not least because of what is happening in the eurozone. The eurozone is examining all sorts of further steps that need to be taken in terms of co-ordination, some of which I believe will require a treaty change.
"What people really need to know in the UK is that the in-out referendum that I will hold if I am prime minister will happen by the end of 2017. There can be absolutely no doubt about that. Irrespective of whether this private member's bill succeeds or fails makes no difference to the pledge I am making about this in-out referendum."
Downing Street believes that Paris is moving its position after saying through last year that it did not expect a treaty change. Officials believe the Élysée is now acknowledging that this will happen. Reported by guardian.co.uk 8 hours ago.
François Hollande, the French president, threw a grenade into David Cameron's EU reform plan when he warned the prime minister that a major change to the rules of the EU would trigger a referendum in France.
As the prime minister insisted at a distinctly chilly UK-France summit that he would hold a referendum in Britain on renewed EU membership terms by 2017, the French president said one country could not dictate the pace of change to others as he said treaty change was not a priority.
Cameron and Hollande clashed over the EU as they appeared at a joint press conference at RAF Brize Norton at the end of one of the frostiest UK-France summits in years.
Downing Street was angry when the Élysée Palace briefed the entire contents of the summit – covering defence, space and nuclear power co-operation – to journalists in Paris on Wednesday. The Élysée was annoyed when Grant Shapps, the Tory chairman, said recently that Hollande's economic policies were driving the French economy into the sand.
The preparations were not helped when Cameron suggested the summit should take place at Blenheim Palace. It was pointed out that this was named after the Battle of Blenheim, the Duke of Marlborough's victory over France in 1704. No 10 eventually settled on RAF Brize Norton in Cameron's Witney constituency to symbolise Anglo-French military co-operation.
The prime minister tried to create a relaxed mood by taking Hollande to lunch at the Swan Inn in Swinbrook. This was used for the scene of a famous elopement – between Lady Sybil and the chauffeur Branson in Downton Abbey.
The president's own love life was raised by the Daily Telegraph's Christopher Hope, who asked him the sort of direct question avoided by French journalists. Hope asked: "Monsieur le president, I know this is a very sensitive subject for you. Do you think your private life has made France an international joke? Are you still having an affair with Julie Gayet and do you wish she was here?"
Hollande replied: "With regard to your last question I decline to answer."
The president focused most of his remarks on the economy and on making clear French unease about Cameron's plans to use an EU treaty renegotiation – expected by Downing Street when the eurozone agrees new governance arrangements – to change the terms of Britain's EU membership. Hollande warned Cameron that a major treaty change would trigger a referendum in France as he reminded the prime minister that a referendum was (successfully) held in 1992 on the Maastricht treaty and (unsuccessfully) on the EU constitution in 2005.
Hollande said a treaty change was not a priority. He said: "France would like the eurozone to be better co-ordinated, better integrated. If there are going to be amendments to the text [treaty] we don't feel that for the time being they are urgent. We feel that revising the treaty is not a priority for the time being."
Hollande said: "The UK is perfectly free to organise a referendum, to know what their place is going to be in Europe. I perfectly respect their choice. In Europe there is a discussion under way on our own fate, how we should get organised … A change in the treaty would also involve procedures. Minor changes for instance – there we could have a parliamentary vote.
"But when you are dealing with major changes – you will remember for the single currency with the Maastricht treaty [and] we had the European constitutional treaty in 2005 – we had to have a referendum. So everybody has to assess what procedures exist. We can't just expect to follow the example of one country in Europe in order to determine the rest."
The prime minister said he was determined to hold a referendum by 2017 to approve a reform plan that he would table during treaty negotiations. Cameron said: "Clearly there will be further treaty changes coming, not least because of what is happening in the eurozone. The eurozone is examining all sorts of further steps that need to be taken in terms of co-ordination, some of which I believe will require a treaty change.
"What people really need to know in the UK is that the in-out referendum that I will hold if I am prime minister will happen by the end of 2017. There can be absolutely no doubt about that. Irrespective of whether this private member's bill succeeds or fails makes no difference to the pledge I am making about this in-out referendum."
Downing Street believes that Paris is moving its position after saying through last year that it did not expect a treaty change. Officials believe the Élysée is now acknowledging that this will happen. Reported by guardian.co.uk 8 hours ago.