Berlin Wants UK to Stay in EU but Won't Negotiate on Immigration

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany wants Britain to remain an “active and engaged” member of the European Union but will not cede on Prime Minister David Cameron’s plans to curb immigration from other EU countries, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said on Monday.

“It is up to Britain to clarify what role it wants to play in future in the European Union. This is not a bilateral matter between Germany and Britain but between Britain and all of its European partners,” said Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert.

Germany wants Britain to stay in the bloc, but Merkel has also made it very clear that “the general principle of freedom of movement in the European Union is not negotiable”, Seibert told a news conference.

This story first appeared on Reuters