EU deal: David Cameron faces assault on multiple fronts in Brussels all-nighter-By Matthew Holehouse,

European leaders hope to whittle away at David Cameron's deal, then contain the 'contagion' of reform, during gruelling talks expected to last until dawn

Prime Minister David Cameron is welcomed by President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz prior to meetings at European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium Photo: EPA/OLIVIER HOSLET

Francois Hollande, the French president, will tell Mr Cameron that his deal will not get any better and there can be “no bidding” at the decisive summit on Thursday night.

A leaked text reveals how Belgium, France, Hungary and Spain will plan to trim back Mr Cameron’s deal, and then prevent it being copied to halt a “contagion” of reform across Europe.

Leaders will seek to water-down his welfare reforms, making them limited to only newly-arrived migrants, and weaken a mechanism sought by George Osborne to prevent Eurozone countries from ganging-up against the City of London.

The document, detailing each country’s negotiating position, has been prepared by a European foreign ministry. It underscores how Mr Cameron’s interlocutors are comparing notes ahead of talks that are expected to run until dawn.

The plan could change, but under one timetable being prepared, the leaders will arrive in Brussels on Thursday afternoon, and after press interviews and a group photograph talks on Britain's deal are expected to begin at around 5pm. Over dinner, at about 8pm, leaders will turn to the migration crisis.
Then Donald Tusk - who normally insists on summits ending at midnight - is expected to take leaders aside in turn in the hope of wearing down their objections and presenting an accord early on Friday morning.
That will allow Mr Cameron to address his Cabinet that afternoon, triggering a four-month referendum campaign.
“Unless something changes we are in for a very long night,” said Konrad Szymanski, Poland’s Europe minister.
David Cameron meets Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president  Photo: EPA According to the text, the Prime Minister will be fighting on multiple fronts to save his deal. He is understood to be deeply disappointed that leaders have responded to his reform agenda by closing ranks and boxing the UK in, rather than suggesting their own reforms for the bloc.
France has set out red lines including no “veto” over the euro area, and insists that Britain’s mechanism to trigger a full debate on Eurozone issues where it has concerns cannot “affect the operation of the euro area”.
Ever Closer Union, the integrationist clause on what the UK wants an opt-out, should remain “the rule” for EU states. For France, Mr Tusk’s draft deal “makes sense, but it should be a point of arrival – no bidding”, the document says.
The document shows that Belgium fears a “risk of contagion”, and complains that the UK has called only for Brussels to lose, rather than gain, powers under the principle of subsidiarity.
Belgium says that the UK has focussed “unilaterally” on itself and the rights of non-euro countries, and says that Britain’s proposed opt-out on ever closer union “can be no target for other member states.”
Spain, meanwhile, fears that Britain is seeking to cut the European Central Bank’s regulatory power, and fears the UK will be “is an obstacle in decision making” if it is allowed to intervene.
It too fears that Britain’s opt-out on ever closer union will “increase the dispersion” of member states, make Europe “too complex” and hinder other states from integrating – something British diplomats deny.
David Cameron and Martin Schulz meet in Brussels  Photo: REUTERS Hungary says the migrant benefit curbs must not be “retroactive” and “penalise” current migrants in Britain, and must only be activated if there is “evidence”.
Crucially, it demands that non-EU migrants “should not receive better treatment” in Britain than Hungarians. That could be impossible to deliver as some countries – such as Macedonia, Turkey and Tunisia – have deals that allow their workers full access to in-work benefits in the UK.
Tomas Prouza, the Czech Europe minister, yesterday agreed that the benefit changes should only apply to new migrants so that “that the people already in the UK can play according to the existing rules”.
Denmark is “happy with the drafts, and will fully support Cameron”, the note says, endorsing in particular his plan to protect non-eurozone states and boost the powers of parliaments. But it too says the emergency brake on benefits for migrants must be “specific to the UK – hope this will not be asked by another member state”.
In a sign of the horsetrading to come, Syed Kamall, the leader of Mr Cameron’s ECR bloc of MEPs, on Tuesday said there is “clearly” a risk that countries such as Greece could demand help with refugees as the price of a deal.

 Culled from Telegraph