'Small, small, small' EU treaty change to deliver 'quantum leap'

European leaders have given way to German demands for a change to the European treaties, but the procedure for the change and its size has been calculated explicitly to avoid the danger that it could provoke referendums in some EU states.

In a significant victory for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, early on Friday (29 October), EU prime ministers and presidents backed "a limited treaty change" to deliver tighter fiscal discipline and allow for the creation of a permanent bail-out fund ...