French President François Hollande stuck to a firm line on Friday on limiting concessions to London on financial sector reforms and welfare at a European Union summit struggling to work out a deal to keep Britain in the bloc, reports Reuters.
Hollande said he would feel regret if Britons voted to leave the EU in a planned referendum, but that there were limits to what Paris could agree to satisfy British Prime Minister David Cameron's push for EU reforms and persuade voters to stay.
"There can be no special case for the City" of London, he told France Inter radio of Britain's push for safeguards for its financial sector against being harmed by decisions taken in the euro zone.
Hollande said that reforms demanded by Britain could in turn give its financial sector an unfair advantage over other European nations, adding: "I cannot accept that".
"Britain cannot have a right to veto what we are doing in the euro zone. That's a given," he said.
Hollande also said that "many nations" at the summit opposed British Prime Minister David Cameron's calls to be able to restrict social benefits for migrants workers.
"That is where it grates the most," he said in a two-hour interview during a break at the summit. "You can't give into any blackmail."
Still, Hollande expressed hope that the summit would reach a deal on Britain but that it would be a long evening. "We will find a compromise, I hope so," he said.