EU: David Cameron sets out his demands for keeping the UK in the EU

On Tuesday 10 November 2015, UK Prime Minister David Cameron officially laid out his demands for maintaining the UK’s presence in the EU. The Prime Minister said he was looking for the EU to hold firm to its primary goal of safeguarding a smoothly operating single market and for this, improving competitiveness should be what is driving European policy, and to that end EU legislation should not be creating additional business charges; an indirect allusion to the EU Commission’s social directives, which although do not feature center stage in UK debate over Europe nevertheless do attract significant attention. 
Enjoy this article for free while you’re in your trial period
You have access to our content for 1 month.

“The renegotiation is not mission impossible. I am confidant that, with patience and goodwill, a deal can be done,” insisted the Prime Minister as he laid out his four demands up for negotiation with his European partners. This ‘shopping list’ will be formally delivered on 10 November 2015 to the European Council President, Donald Tusk with a view to being discussed during the European summit meeting in December 2015.

Firstly on competitiveness, David Cameron would like the concept to be part of

Do you have information to share with us?
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
France: Malakoff Humanis signs agreement for older workers offering “a la carte” end-of-career options
The social protection group Malakoff Humanis (10,500 employees in France) and trade union organisations signed a three-year agreement on 6 March dedicated to employees aged 50 and over. This...
Romania: collective bargaining stalled in the banking sector
The news. In a joint statement published on 9 March, the European trade union UNI Europa and its Romanian affiliates (FSAB and FSIF) called on Société Générale (BRD)...
France: Club Med includes “multiculturalism” in its professional equality agreement
In December 2025, Club Med and the CFTC, Unsa, and FO trade unions signed an agreement on professional equality and working conditions. It introduces measures addressing AI, pay transparency, and...
23 March 2026
Spain: business support package to tackle the economic impact of the Middle East conflict
The Spanish government approved a series of measures on 20 March to support companies facing rising energy prices. In return, these businesses are prohibited from making redundancies for economic...
23 March 2026
Most viewed articles of the month on mind HR
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
Netherlands: new government seeks to “control” social costs
In his government policy statement to Parliament on 25 February, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten announced several measures designed to "control" social costs. Notably, he proposed raising the...
2
Spain: a bill to regulate internships
On 3 March, the Council of Ministers approved the bill on the “Status for persons undergoing non-professional practical training in companies”. The text limits the number of interns a company can...
3
EU: co-legislators aim to pivot European Globalisation Adjustment Fund towards restructuring anticipation
On 25 February, the Council of the EU and the Parliament reached an agreement on the Commission’s proposed regulation to expand the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF). Under the...
4
Block to slash workforce by nearly half
The news. In his latest shareholder letter, Jack Dorsey, CEO of payment service provider Block (formerly Square), announced plans to slash the company’s workforce “by nearly half, from...