Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said today that he is "relatively optimistic" that the EU could reach an agreement with Britain on the reforms demanded by the British at the summit in February.
"I think we could get there in February, I'm a relative optimist. But there's still a lot to do," Rute said at a press conference marking the start of the Netherlands' six-month presidency of the Union.
The Netherlands is a traditional ally of Britain on free market positions in Europe, but Rutte refused to go into where the biggest difficulties lie, saying it would not be "helpful" to go public, Reuters reported.
British Prime Minister David Cameron wants to change some EU regulations before the British go to a referendum on remaining in the Union, which should be held by the end of 2017.
Cameron wants the Union to reduce bureaucracy and transfer more powers from Brussels to member states. He also wants guarantees that Britain will be protected from greater political integration and economic decisions by eurozone members.
Among the most controversial issues, however, is Britain's desire to abolish social benefits for migrants from other EU countries during the first four years of their stay in Britain, which other EU members consider discrimination that violates the principle of free flow of people and labor between Union members.
Cameron says Britain also believes in the principle of freedom of movement for EU workers, but wants to prevent newcomers from using benefits before contributing to the welfare system.
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