In just over 48 hours, British officials will once again dip their toes into the delicate waters of European negotiations.

On Tuesday, however, they appear to face a landscape changed utterly from the last time they met their Continental counterparts. In what could be a key test of David Cameron's European policy, the UK team will be "observers" and at the European Union meeting only by invitation.

Downing Street has insisted that the meetings are technical and that Britain will have the same status as the 26 other EU members.

But Number 10 also admitted that much depends on persuasion to ensure that the outcome reached is the best possible one for Britain.

In reality, the big challenge appears to be not this particular meeting, but upcoming summits among EU members.

In the wake of David Cameron's dramatic veto on a new European treaty last week, UK officials have admitted there is no guarantee that in future years they will even get a seat at the table.

One of the big questions, insiders say, could be what happens in the first few months of the New Year,

It is expected that some form of group will meet in January or February for discussions to agree the final conclusions of the deal that eventually emerges.

The UK could still have equal status with the other members, but it is also widely thought that it would need to have the backing of other large European countries to really take a part.

With a feeling in Europe that Britain blew a lot of its political capital in the early hours of the morning of December 9, finding that advocate or group of advocates could prove difficult.

To that end, the Prime Minister is making concerted efforts to reach out to other European leaders. In the last week alone he has spoken to Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, along with a host of other leaders, including German chancellor Angela Merkel.

But, notably, he has also been in touch with other potential "awkward squad" members, including his counterparts in Denmark, the Czech Republic and Sweden, who are believed to have their own concerns over the deal, and Enda Kenny, the Irish PM, who could cause particular problems for the 26 remaining nations if Ireland decides it has to hold a referendum before it signs up to the fresh treaty.

Even if a rebel grouping does emerge, the UK is keen to be involved in some of the decisions concerning the remaining 26 nations.

These include issues such as if and how the current European institutions might be used to oversee this deal, and how to punish countries which step out of line.

Even before the UK discovers if it has been snubbed or not, however, other European countries are attempting to use the situation to their advantage, casting the UK as the scapegoat as they struggle to find a solution to the escalating eurozone crisis.

In the immediate aftermath of the veto, French president Nicholas Sarkozy immediately went on the offensive in an attack on Cameron's demands.

In the days that have followed, a series of French politicians has lined up to criticise the UK approach or attack the economy.

The row has bubbled all week, with Nick Clegg eventually telling the French prime minister that such comments were "simply unacceptable".

While the influence of domestic concerns cannot be over-emphasised – Sarkozy faces re-election next year and the Conservative leader has faced intense pressure over Europe from his backbenchers – the rhetoric could have long-term consequences. One Whitehall source said: "Don't forget it is only a year ago that we signed an agreement on defence co-operation with France, what are the chances of doing that kind of thing in the future? Not least because of the struggle it would be to sell it to the British public."

And in the list of leaders that the Prime Minister has spoken to in the last week one name is conspicuous by its absence. Cameron and Sarkozy have not been in touch since the dramatic scenes at last week's summit. Cameron's aides admit there are no immediate plans for them to do so in the near future.

The UK Government has argued that it has the best of both worlds: it is out of the stringent rescue deal, but retains its powerful influence in Europe. But for the latter to be true the other 26 countries should not become in their own right a source of power within the EU.

On Friday, Angela Merkel rang the Prime Minister in his Oxford constituency. Among the issues they discussed were the British opposition to the 26 nations using any of EU institutions, even down to the buildings.

How that argument goes down on Tuesday could be indicative of Britain's standing in Europe for a long time to come.