Half of British voters back David Cameron’s battle for European Reform
Half of UK voters back David Cameron's battle to reform the European Union, with voters in countries such as France and Germany sharing similar sentiments, a poll by Com Res/New Direction has shown.
The poll, conducted for think-tank New Direction, found half of UK respondents (49 per cent) believed the European Union should be reformed.
Cameron has pledged to renegotiate Britain's terms of membership, before letting voters decide in an in/out referendum in 2017. Changes to the rules regarding free movement of labour and a reduce of "red-tape" burdening businesses are some of the reforms he's seeking.
To-date, Cameron's cries for change have been met with opposition from Berlin and Paris. While German Chancellor Angela Merkel has accepted some reforms may be necessary, she has ruled out any major rewrites to existing EU treaties.
However, it also found voters in France (58 per cent), Netherland (49 per cent) and Germany (46 per cent) shared similar sentiments.
"This poll shows that those calling for EU reform now represent the mainstream view – contrary to what many believe," said Andrew Hawkins, executive chairman of leading international research consultancy ComRes.
"The challenge for the EU is how, given the reluctance of many European leaders, it can meet the demands for change – including in areas such as freedom of movement where resistance to reform is traditionally strong."
"It is also surprising to find how much David Cameron's call for reform resonates in Member States such as France, Netherlands and even Germany."