Angela Merkel and David Cameron were the guests of honour at the traditional dinner.

"I would hope that the United Kingdom will continue to be an active member of a successful European Union," stressed Angela Merkel in her speech before the 400 guests at the Matthiae Mahl dinner in Hamburg.

Since 1356 the Matthiae Mahl has been celebrated annually in Hamburg, making it the oldest dinner in the world that is still celebrated today. Its name comes from the Feast of St. Matthew on 24 February. In the Middle Ages this was the official start of spring and of the business year. Every year "representatives of powers friendly to Hamburg" are invited to the historical dinner. This year Chancellor Angela Merkel and the British Prime Minister David Cameron were the guests of honour.

Preventing abuse of welfare systems

Germany supports many of the concerns that David Cameron has voiced to the EU, said the Chancellor. Germany too wants to do a lot more to foster competitiveness and transparency and cut bureaucracy. And every member state must be able to protect its welfare system against abuse.

Thus, "If we manage to package these concerns in a … European form, then I think Europe as a whole can benefit." Angela Merkel was calmly confident that this will prove possible. The member states of the EU have always managed to agree so far "even when things are genuinely critical".

Hamburg’s First Mayor Olaf Scholz invited both the Chancellor and the British Prime Minister to this year’s Matthiae Mahl dinner.

David Cameron said that he sees good prospects of his country remaining part of the European Union. If there are clear reforms, he will unequivocally recommend that the United Kingdom remain in the EU under the new terms and conditions.

The British government has announced a referendum on the country’s continued membership of the European Union. In the run-up to the referendum, the British government has submitted a list of the reforms it wants to see. These are to be discussed at the European Council meeting on 18 and 19 February. The negotiations will be chaired by the European Council President Donald Tusk. In a letter dated 2 February, he sent the proposed compromise to all EU member states. These proposals will be the basis for negotiations.