BRUSSELS: British Prime Minister David Cameron gained allies in his fight against EU spending rises to avoid having to wield a solitary veto that would have further isolated Britain and fuelled questions about its future in the 27-nation bloc.
The collapse of talks in Brussels to agree a one-trillion-euro ($1.3trn) budget also meant Cameron for now will avoid having to present a deal to a fractious parliament that defeated him last month in a vote calling for European Union spending cuts.
That undermined Cameron's authority and raised doubts about how he would appease anti-EU rebels in his Conservative Party without upsetting Europe, Britain's biggest trading partner.
There was talk of the other 26 countries reaching a budget deal without Britain.
"There might have been (attempts) to say let's just put the British in a box over there and do a deal without them," Cameron said after the talks ended. "That didn't work because there are other countries that I worked with very closely."
Cameron, who wants a budget freeze, said Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, and Denmark supported tighter spending controls. Attempts to find a 2014-2020 budget will resume early next year.
However, Britain had to be careful to avoid upsetting its main trading partner at a time of austerity.
London also wants to retain influence before a critical summit next month on plans for a European banking union.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario