Islam Times - Germany, France snub UK on EU research

Islam Times - Germany and France have snubbed the British Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposal for an assessment of the impact of the European Union’s regulations on Britain and other EU members.

The move by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande follows Cameron’s recent pledge to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership in the EU.

Cameron said in a key speech in January that London wants all areas of EU lawmaking to be reviewed in connection with their impact on Britain.

But his “balance of competences” review now seems to be in shreds following the German and French snub.

To carry out the review, Britain sent letters to its fellow EU members to ask their take of the EU laws and their impacts on Britain.

However, Germany and France have simply refused to participate in the “British” game.

"This is a British domestic political exercise. We have therefore decided we would not participate,” a French diplomat said.

The review is important to London because it is meant to show them the areas they could pick to negotiate with the EU in their bid to regain some powers from Brussels.

"Our balance of competences review [will] give us an informed and objective analysis of where the EU helps and where it hampers,” Cameron said back in January when he promised a referendum on the EU.

However, the snub shows Cameron is already isolated in the union especially by the bloc’s other members of the so-called “big three”.