Europe's leaders fear British exit more than Greek collapse Ireland takes over the role of the EU's six month rotating presidency this week at a time when the eurozone crisis has subsided but the question over a "Brexit," or British exit from membership, is now openly debated in European capitals. In a setback for the British government, Eamon Gilmore, the Irish deputy prime minister, said that Ireland, traditionally a close European ally for Britain, would not support David Cameron's call for powers to be repatriated from the EU to Westminster. The question of Britain leaving the EU or entering into a looser economic relationship with it has moved to the top of the EU's political agenda as the eurozone starts to look at treaty change that moves towards creating a European federal super-state. "The terms of core membership have to be the same for all member states... it is important that they are the same," he said. Mr Gilmore, who is also Ireland's foreign minister, ruled out any Irish support for the British Prime Minister's demand for a special settlement between Britain and the EU, warning that it would lead to the break-up of the bloc. "This is not going to work if we have 27 different categories of membership," he said. Lucinda Creighton, Ireland's Europe minister, acknowledged that after the "harmful speculation" that Greece would leave the euro early last year the debate had moved on to the prospect of Britain leaving the EU. "Now we've moved on to speculation about the UK," she said. The relationship between the EU and UK is a big challenge. Mr Gilmore revealed that he was trying to talk Mr Cameron out of heading for the exit as his country takes over the EU presidency on the 40th anniversary of European membership for both Britain and Ireland in January 1973. Britain and Ireland joined in 1973 on the same day. As a country we have a very strong interest in Britain... being a fully engaged member of the EU," he said. In so far as we can influence we will be encouraging Britain's continued membership of the EU.