Cameron Heads Into EU Summit With EU Membership at Stake

British Prime Minister David Cameron is bracing for a crucial European Union summit on Thursday, convinced he needs to clinch a deal to fundamentally reform the bloc to make sure a U.K. referendum on continued British membership can be won

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron leaves 10 Downing Street to attend Parliament in London, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015. AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth

BRUSSELS—British Prime Minister David Cameron is bracing for a crucial European Union summit on Thursday, convinced he needs to clinch a deal to fundamentally reform the bloc to make sure a U.K. referendum on continued British membership can be won.

With as many as four core issues still outstanding going into the two-day summit of EU leaders, EU President Donald Tusk said on the eve of the meeting that “frankly, there is still no guarantee that we will reach an agreement.”

The lingering disputes over anything from the reinforcement of national sovereignty to child benefits belie the fact that none of the other member states wants to see the departure of Britain, an economic and diplomatic giant in a struggling EU.

“We must not lose this. It would be a defeat both for the U.K. and the European Union, but a geopolitical victory for those who seek to divide us,” Tusk wrote in a letter to the summit participants.

European Council President Donald Tusk talks to the press after his meeting with Greek Prime Minister in Athens, on February 16, 2016.
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