Editorial: Friends in Europe

Has Britain at last found an ally in Europe?  And what better ally than German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  Merkel appears to be backing British Prime Minister David Cameron on calls for treaty changes which could ensure that Britain remains in the European Union. “I’m optimistic that if we all want it, we’ll find a good solution,”  she said. “It’s not about losing sleep over this, but about doing our work and creating the necessary preconditions for Britain to remain in the EU,” Merkel was quoted by the BBC as saying yesterday. This will certainly be music to the ears of Cameron who has promised a referendum on Britain´s membership of the European Union. It comes just a week after a “friendly” meeting between the German Chancellor and her British counterpart last week. With German backing Britain could get the European deal that looked so difficult to achieve just six month ago. Germany appears to want to keep Britain within the European Union and it appears to be no longer a question of  “if you don´t like Europe, then just leave...” If Cameron can cement his relationship with Merkel then it would certainly be a step in the right direction both for Britain and Germany. While the other smaller nations within the European Union appear opposed to any treaty changes which Britain may demand, Germany, the European “powerhouse” appears happy to oblige. Is Cameron at last learning to play the European game?