Juncker refuses to consider possible 'Brexit'

Ahead of talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he refused to entertain the idea of a British exit from the European Union, saying there is "no plan B."

"If I would say now that we have a plan B, this would indicate a kind of willingness of the commission to envisage seriously that Britain could leave the European Union," Juncker said.

"So I am not entering into the details of a plan B, because we don't have a plan B, we have a plan A."

Ongoing negotiations

The British prime minister traveled to the Belgian capital on Tuesday in the hope of hammering out controversial reforms with the European Parliament before holding a referendum on Britain's membership in the European Union (EU) - also referred to as the potential "Brexit." The most contentious demand of Cameron's four main demands is his proposed restriction on welfare benefits to EU migrants.

Even if Cameron succeeds in reaching a deal over his proposed changes, critics have warned that any reform package could still be vetoed by lawmakers after the UK's planned referendum because it will not be secured by a change in the EU treaty.

'Firm basis'

European Parliament President Martin Schulz said on Tuesday that that the European Parliament would deal with legislating the European Commission's proposal immediately after a referendum is held in the UK.

"But to be quite clear, no government can go to the Parliament and say 'this is our proposal, can you give a guarantee about the result?' This is not possible in a democracy."

The prime minister's meeting in Brussels came just a day he held talks in Paris with his French counterpart Francois Hollande. Cameron's Downing Street office said the leaders agreed a draft of reforms, which provides "a firm basis to reach agreement at this week's summit," due to be held on Thursday and Friday.

ksb/rc (Reuters, AFP, dpa)