Some Cameron demands will meet EU resistance

Significance

Cameron is gauging his counterparts' positions before presenting his reform agenda at the June 25-26 EU summit. He seeks the other EU states' support for a package of reforms that will enable him to claim that he has secured a better deal for the United Kingdom in the EU, and thus campaign for an 'in' vote in the EU membership referendum he has promised by end-2017. Cameron is seeking to build backing for some reforms that would apply across the EU, rather than only seek special treatment for the United Kingdom. However, some of the reforms he has mooted are unacceptable to many other EU states.

Impacts

• The greatest impact of the reforms that Cameron secures could be on the scale of the split in the Conservative Party over EU membership.
• Some of Cameron's reforms could bring important changes across the bloc, as well as set precedents for other member states.
• The UK renegotiation will generate bargaining between member states that will affect their negotiation of other issues.