Britain ‘driving force’ says EU’s Van Rompuy

The European Council president highlighted Britain’s role as a “driving force” behind the EU and said its military, diplomatic and commercial clout could not be matched by many other countries.

He said the EU was about leveraging its member countries internationally by pooling resources.

Mr Van Rompuy said: “Governments recognise that an important part of the work for their citizens’ security and prosperity is best done with their neighbours, their partners.

“They see that being part of the union is not about giving up one’s own role, but rather about leveraging by aligning positions, pooling resources, acting in the world as a team.

“In that sense a country like the United Kingdom has always been a driving force.”

Mr Van Rompuy said the EU-US trade agreement that is currently in the pipeline would benefit the whole world.

He said: “This I think can be a game changer, not just on both sides of the Atlantic but worldwide.

“I am not saying that making it really work will be an easy task, it’s about pushing boundaries further than we ever have before.

“Both sides will need to make compromises but pulling this off would change the face of world trade for the better.”

David Cameron has promised to hold an in-out referendum on Europe if the Conservatives win the next election.