Yet even as he spoke these words, José Manuel Barroso, the President of European Commission, was asked by the Telegraph in Brussels about the possibility of renegotiation of competences at EU level. Barroso’s response was a straightforward snub to Mr Cameron and a wholesale rejection of the very idea. Any fundamental discussion about the renationalisation of EU competence “was doomed to failure”, Barroso said. "What is difficult, or even impossible, is if we go for the exercise of repatriation of competences because that means revising the treaties and revision means unanimity. From my experience of 10 years, I don't believe it will work."