An announcement by the European Commission that it has made some progress with Britain over the list of proposed reforms by Prime Minister David Cameron has raised speculations of a compromise to keep Britain inside the bloc.

Robert Oulds, the UK-based director of the Bruges Group, has told Press TV that Cameron is trying to keep Britain inside the EU despite his earlier threats to lead the country to quit the bloc if his demands to make changes to EU laws are not met.

“David Cameron wants to stay in the European Union no matter what,” Oulds said. “The purpose behind that is because he believes that the people are more likely to vote to stay in the EU in his promised referendum if he manages to improve Britain’s terms of EU membership,” he added.

Nevertheless, Oulds emphasized that the British prime minister will not gain much from his confrontation with the EU.

“Cameron is not expected to achieve substantive changes.  There will only be minor changes,” he told Press TV’s UK Desk in an exclusive interview.

“He’s looking at migrants’ access to benefits.  Just one small issue. One small cost of EU membership.  He does not get to the absolute core issues about democracy, about self-government, and about representing ourselves in the world.”

The EU Commission said on Monday that it had made some limited progress in reforms that would keep London in the 28-nation bloc.

European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas told a regular news briefing that while there was progress at political and technical level, nothing was agreed until everything was agreed.

"We are not there yet, discussions continue, today at sherpa level involving the Council, the Commission and UK sherpas. The timing is in the hands of President Tusk and Prime Minister Cameron," Schinas has been quoted as saying by Reuters.

Oulds, who is also an economist, further emphasized that the advantages for Britain to stay in the EU outweigh its disadvantages.

Britain’s trade, for example, will be disrupted if the country leaves the EU, he warned. This is because Britain’s imports from the bloc are more than its exports.

“Cameron is only window dressing … to make it look like he has achieved some substantive changes,” Oulds said.

“After the re-negotiation, there will still be a situation in which the UK would still be governed by around 20,000 European Union laws.  He will not achieve a great deal. So he can achieve some minor changes but they will be only merely cosmetic so that he thinks he will have a better chance in the referendum.”