Nick Clegg, working with or for the EU?

The above first appeared in a Daily Telegraph link which concentrated on how Clegg foresaw Britain's future as permanently in the EU but with this quote:

However he said the Lib Dems, if elected, would let the public decide on the basic question of whether Britain should remain within the EU by holding a referendum when the subject next arose.

Surely he cannot pretend that the subject of the EU has not now arisen, perhaps he considers it as "disappeared" like his EU pension?