峰会的核心问题是协商建立更严格的政府财政纪律,17个欧元国和6个其他国家已接受该协议,其余三国的领导人将与议会协商,所以英国成了孤家寡人。如果违反规定,接受新协议的国家将受到新的借款限制,可能还有制裁。各国还一致同意对受困政府增加可用的救助资金,想参与该协议的国家,需同意这些规定。包括德国领导人安吉拉·默克尔在内的领导人更希望对欧盟协议加以修改,这需要所有国家政府同意。但戴维德·卡梅隆希望得到有关金融服务规则的保证,对此他未能如愿。
Mr Cameron says he acted in Britain's national interest by refusing to sign up to the new EU treaty, but he admitted that Britain's relationship with Europe had now changed.
卡梅隆说,为了英国的国民利益,他拒绝签署新的欧盟协议,但他也承认,英国与欧洲的关系已经改变。
"I think I did the right thing for Britain. We were offered a treaty that didn't have proper safeguards for Britain, and I decided it was not right to sign that treaty. You're obviously in a room with 26 other people who are saying 'put aside your national interest, go along with the crowd, do what will make life easy and comfortable for you there in that room', but you say no. It's important that we get the things that Britain needs, and so I decided not to sign that treaty. It's what I said I'd do, and it's what I did."