article: Downing Street said "good progress" had been made on the UK's proposals but there were still "difficult issues" to resolve. The prime minister's spokesman said there would be "substantive discussions" on the reforms instead. The UK's PM has promised an in/out vote on EU membership by the end of 2017. The prime minister is said to want to hold an early vote but he has said he will not set the timing of the poll until the negotiations, on Britain's terms of membership of the 28-member bloc, are concluded. Q&A: What Britain wants from Europe Guide to the UK's planned in-out EU referendum BBC News EU referendum special report Mr Cameron spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel by phone on Thursday to discuss the renegotiation efforts. After the call, Downing Street said: "The prime minister explained that his priority is to get the substance right, underlining the need for legally binding, irreversible changes. "He noted that the scale of what we are asking for means we will not resolve this in one go and consequently he did not expect to get agreement at the December European Council. "Instead, we should keep up the pace of discussions and use the summit for a substantive discussion of the proposed changes in each area." The government had never committed to a deal by December but it is thought that was what the negotiating team had hoped. BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said it suggested Mr Cameron was "running into real difficulties" in his renegotiations, in particular over proposals to restrict EU migrants' access to benefits in the UK. "That has always been a sticking point," he said, adding that European leaders have "serious reservations" about the proposals.
summary: David Cameron has said that he does not expect an agreement to be reached on his EU reform aims at December's summit of European leaders.