Prime Minister David Cameron says he’ll spell out his demands

European Union nations are increasingly frustrated that Cameron hasn’t made concrete proposals yet.

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.

The prime minister is to detail the changes via a missive to European Council President Donald Tusk, which will be circulated among the 27 EU leaders early next month.

According to the Guardian, the UK’s referendum has been relegated to a one-sentence final item on the draft summit declaration after senior officials preparing the agenda said their British counterparts did not appear to have a mandate for negotiations that started in July.

Mr Cameron said he was confident he could get a good deal for Britain, and the renegotiation is going well.

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

“Nor do I believe that there is a compelling economic argument to override those considerations”, he said during a debate on the government’s referendum bill, in comments published on Hansard, parliament’s official record.

While Mr Cameron has found support in Europe for a few of the broad ideas he has put forward, a few countries – including Germany and France – have set limits on what they would agree to, such as curtailing the free movement of European Union citizens.

But he was forced to back down after European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker tore into him this week for his refusal to set out his demands. “British voters don’t really do the vision thing on Europe and tend to take a fairly prosaic and pragmatic approach”, Bale says.

Mr Cameron has welcomed European Commission plans to push ahead with trade deals which he claims could result in a £20 billion boost to the United Kingdom economy.

Following a meeting with Mr Cameorn, Mr Schulz said the European Parliament would be ready to discuss moves to improve competitiveness, but added: “Of course that can’t be to the detriment of our social model”.

But Juncker said Wednesday there had not been “huge progress” so far.

Many MPs now expect it to take place next autumn or even as early as April.

Finland’s finance minister Alexander Stubb said numerous UK’s concerns about the European Union are “very legitimate” and said Helsinki would do “everything in our power” to keep Britain at the heart of the EU.

The apparent remark was hailed by Ukip leader Nigel Farage, who said he would buy Mr Juncker a bottle of champagne, while the Vote Leave campaign for an Out vote in the referendum due by the end of 2017 said it was “encouraged” by his stance.