The prime minister conceded on Friday that some of his plans aimed at stemming the flow of EU migrants to this country – including banning in-work benefits such as tax credits for four years – will require changes to EU treaties. “There is no doubt this package will require some treaty change, and I’m confident we can achieve that,” he said. Under the proposals, jobless migrants would not qualify for unemployment benefits, and those who cannot find a job within six months would have to leave the country. However, Tory MPs and experts on EU treaties said that, even if he was able to negotiate such a package with fellow EU leaders, it would be impossible to complete the process of ratification in the 28 member states in time for a referendum on the amended rules in 2017. Unless the referendum was then delayed beyond 2017, British people would be asked to vote “yes” or “no” to continued membership despite the fact that the renegotiated terms could subsequently be vetoed by any single member state. A new EU treaty has to be approved in every member state, either by its national parliament or in a referendum. The Observer understands that British officials – aware of the potential problem – are already examining possible options under which a referendum could be held before ratification had been completed.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 10:01:19 +0000
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