German politician casts doubt on UK timetable for EU change
Jun 1, 2015, 6:01 AM
British Prime Minister David Cameron briefs the media during a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Friday, May 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
LONDON (AP) — A prominent German lawmaker has cast doubt on British Prime Minister David Cameron’s plans to fundamentally change the European Union, arguing that a two-year timetable is too short to resolve the legal issues needed for a treaty change.
Norbert Roettgen, a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, says creativity would be needed to address Britain’s problems with the EU before a UK referendum planned by the end of 2017. But treaty change is a huge political venture — and Roettgen says he doesn’t “see the atmosphere for treaty change among the 27 other EU states.”
He says “I can’t see treaty change as a realistic option within the course of two years.”
Roettgen says keeping Britain in the EU is worth fighting for and preserving EU unity is crucial.
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