EU expects Britain to come up with reform plans fast

“So we quicken the pace and quicken those negotiations in the run-up to the December Council”, he said of the next summit, scheduled for Dec. 17-18.

Before the summit, Mr Cameron said: “I’m confident we can get a good deal for Britain, fix those things that need to be fixed and I’m confident that this process is well under way and making good progress”.

Formalising the negotiations by December could pave the way for a referendum next summer or autumn 2016, though negotiations could continue into early next year.

The British premier also met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for an hour-and-a-half over lunch before the summit.

The United Kingdom exiting the European Union would strip 3.6%, or about €6bn from the Republic’s export base should full tariff barriers be re-installed in Britain and the North and threaten the security of thousands of jobs across the whole of Ireland, the Institute of worldwide and Economic Affairs (IIEA) said in a major study in March.

He held three-way talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande ahead of the summit, but sources said on condition of anonymity that the meeting with the two powerful politicians was about the crisis in Syria. Many political commentators believe it is in response to criticisms from EU leaders who have said that it will be the Europeans who will be dictating the terms of the process and not the British.

“They are so many that the human smugglers just open doors of cars for example, or lorries, and say ‘If you don’t pay me enough, go away”. Not everyone in United Kingdom thinks they need Europe, that’s a matter for them.

Whether European President Jean-Claude Juncker did say that Britain does not need the European Union or not is no longer the issue.

In another blow, Mrs Merkel indicated she would oppose Mr Cameron’s plan to strip European Union migrants of in-work benefits for four years – which will require treaty change. “So we have to dance, and our British friends have to dance”. “I can’t say that nothing has been achieved or give details but our negotiations teams have been in talks for weeks now”, Juncker said.

EU Parliament boss Martin Schulz raged: “If we know what the United Kingdom proposals are, then we can move forward”.

“The choice in the coming referendum is between remaining stronger, safer and better off inside Europe, or taking a leap into the unknown, risking our prosperity, threatening our safety, and diminishing our influence in the world”, he said.

His spokeswoman insisted he said “personally I do think that Britain needs the European Union”, but Ukip leader Nigel Farage insisted that he had heard Mr Juncker say the word “don’t” rather than “do”, and offered to buy him a bottle of champagne in celebration of the moment. However, the same polls suggest a small majority of voters would favour a Brexit if Mr Cameron was unable to secure concessions from the EU.