Donald Tusk, president of the European Council | Jimmy Kets

Tusk: ‘No consensus’ on Cameron’s ‘difficult’ demands

UK plan to quarantine some welfare payments is still a key sticking point in Brexit negotiations.

There is no consensus in the EU on the "difficult" issues raised by Prime Minister David Cameron in his effort to renegotiate the U.K.'s relationship with the bloc, the president of the European Council said Monday.

In a letter to member countries, Donald Tusk said Cameron can expect EU leaders' response to his proposed changes by February, with "substantive political debate" and more explanation from Cameron required at a December 17-18 summit in Brussels.

Tusk said it was important for EU states to compromise on Cameron's demands in order to end the uncertainty over the U.K.'s fate, which he said was "a destabilizing factor" in Europe.

He said there was still "no consensus" on Cameron's "most delicate" proposal: a four-year quarantine on social housing and in-work benefits for EU migrants arriving in the U.K..

EU states should compromise on Cameron's demands to end uncertainty over the U.K.'s fate, said Tusk.

More debate was necessary to overcome "substantial policy differences," Tusk wrote.

Welfare payments are the most controversial of the four reforms Cameron announced he would seek ahead of an In/Out referendum on U.K. membership in the EU before the end of 2017.

In an interview with six European newspapers last week, Tusk called on Cameron to compromise, particularly on welfare payments, which Tusk said posed "a legal problem."

"If you're talking about discrimination, that's against the [EU] treaties — so that's not possible," Tusk's spokesman Preben Aamann said last week.

On the need to protect the single market for Britain and other non-eurozone countries, Tusk wrote Monday that EU countries could try to agree on a set of principles under which non-eurozone states are not discriminated against. This would include "a mechanism that will support these principles by allowing Member States that are not in the euro the opportunity to raise concerns, and have them heard, if they feel that these principles are not being followed, without this turning into a veto right."

Tusk said there was wide agreement on the need to boost competitiveness by cutting red tape. But on Cameron's demand for an opt out of the EU’s ambition to forge an “ever closer union” he was more elliptical.

"Those that want to deepen integration can move ahead" — Donald Tusk

"There is wide agreement that the concept of 'ever closer union among the peoples' allows for various paths of integration for different countries," Tusk wrote. "Those that want to deepen integration can move ahead, while respecting the wish of those who do not want to deepen any further."


In concluding "political remarks," Tusk said it was crucial for EU leaders to "to answer the British concerns as quickly as possible. In times when geopolitics is back in Europe, we need to be united and strong."

Tusk wrote Monday that "good progress" had been made, but more time was needed to resolve political differences over welfare payments, and to draft the final proposals.

"The December European Council should address all the political dilemmas related to this process," he wrote. "Based on a substantive political discussion we should be able to prepare a concrete proposal to be finally adopted in February."

Brian Monteith, a spokesman for the campaign, which is pushing for an Out vote in the referendum, said the statement from Tusk was part of "a choreographed EU fudge, where our prime minister goes through the motions of making some soft and meaningless demands, then on cue Donald Tusk raises some technical objections."

Tara Palmeri contributed to this report.