UK Finance Chief to Go to Paris Sunday to Get Support for EU Reforms

The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, will fly to Paris on Sunday as part of his European tour to strengthen Britain’s bid to reform the European Union, local media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — During his two-day visit to Paris, Osborne will meet with French ministers of finance, foreign affairs and economy, the Sunday Times said.

The UK finance chief is in for a standoff, UK media underscored. The Times cited France’s economy Minister Emmanuel Macron as saying previously that London could not have an "a la carte" attitude to the 28-nation union, opting in and out of EU rules at will.

Osborne will try to persuade the French side that concessions to Britain were in everyone’s interests since they would make the bloc more "competitive and dynamic," according to the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, top French diplomat Laurent Fabius warned that UK’s referendum on whether it should stay in or out of the European Union was a dangerous step.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron promised Britain a vote on the so-called Brexit by the end of 2017, although the Independent’s sources indicated the referendum could be fast-tracked to June 2016 to step up pressure on Brussels to accept UK's reform offer.