Juncker says UK does not want to leave the EU
EUROPEAN Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said that he does not believe that the United Kingdom will vote to leave the European Union.
In an interview yesterday with the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, Juncker said that a so-called “Brexit” was not what the British people or government wanted.
“Brexit is not a question which arises, it’s not desired by the British,” Juncker said. “Cameron wants to dock his country permanently to Europe.”
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised an in/out referendum on Britain’s EU membership by the end of 2017, following a period of renegotiation with Brussels, but has not said whether he would support an “in” or an “out” campaign.
Juncker, who met with Cameron at his Chequers country house in Buckinghamshire last week, refused to answer questions about specific reforms the Prime Minister was seeking in his renegotiation efforts.
“The British have to say what they want themselves,” Juncker said, but added that the Commission would “look at this with all serenity”.