David Cameron's EU referendum plan raises Paris-Berlin tensions David Cameron retreated to Chequers on Friday after another week of Conservative chaos over Europe - amid signs that his planned EU referendum is causing tensions between Paris and Berlin. François Hollande, France's socialist president, is much less willing than Angela Merkel, German chancellor, to help Mr Cameron in his efforts to convince a sceptical Tory party and British electorate not to quit the EU. At the Elysée Palace there is concern that Ms Merkel is prepared "to do everything" to keep Britain in the club. The French view is less tolerant: Mr Hollande noted at a press conference on Thursday that the EU "existed before Britain joined" and ministers believe Mr Cameron's policy is largely driven by internal problems in his own party. Mr Hollande said he wanted Britain to stay in the union but any concessions to London must not be at the expense of consolidating the eurozone as "the heart" of the EU. He also repeated France's view that "limits must be set" to prevent the break-up of Europe: the president, who fears a "British contagion" spreading to other members, will resist any attempt to unravel European treaties to allow Mr Cameron to repatriate powers. But Paris believes that Ms Merkel will be more accommodating to Mr Cameron, with whom she shares a solid personal relationship, and a common outlook on economic liberalism and free trade. Ms Merkel said this week that she would lobby for "our British friends" to stay in the bloc, adding: "It's my firm conviction that we belong together: the UK and other EU member states." The German chancellor recently hosted Mr Cameron at her guest residence, Schloss Meseberg, where they discussed a common agenda including trade and further deepening of the single market. Ms Merkel also shares Mr Cameron's dislike of the bloc's working time directive and wants a less intrusive EU. Given Ms Merkel's frosty relationship with Mr Hollande over eurozone stability and economic reform, Berlin appears to be given a renewed priority to retaining good relations with Mr Cameron's liberal, free-trading administration in London. However British officials admit it would be wrong to exaggerate the common ground with Berlin; neither Ms Merkel nor Mr Hollande want to unpick existing treaties, which they fear could unravel the whole European enterprise. Berlin officials say while they share Mr Cameron's analysis of some of Europe's problems, including its lack of competitiveness, they differ on the solutions. Ms Merkel believes reform, not repatriation of powers, is more likely to be the answer. Mr Cameron's strategy of "renegotiate and referendum" won qualified backing this week from Barack Obama. The US president said Mr Cameron should try to mend Britain's EU relationship. "You probably want to see if you can fix what's broken in a very important relationship before you break it off," he said after talks with Mr Cameron in Washington. But the prime minister's week went downhill after that. His publication of a draft bill setting out the terms of an EU referendum did not sate the appetite of his increasingly eurosceptic party. On Wednesday some 114 Conservative MPs, more than half of Tory backbenchers, put on the biggest show of strength yet by sceptics who supported an amendment criticising the Queen's Speech for failing to include an EU referendum bill. A meeting of the backbench 1922 committee before the vote saw Tory MPs in marginal seats pleading with colleagues to stop obsessing about Europe, warning that it would drive away swing voters. Without an election victory in 2015, the Tories will be unable to deliver their EU referendum. Such an eventuality would be met with considerable relief in Berlin, Paris and beyond.