The European Union will set strict conditions for Britain in the event of a possible deepening of economic relations, former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said. According to him, London will not be able to choose only the elements of the European market that are convenient for it.
In an interview with London radio station LBC, Barnier defined free movement as a “key condition“ for a possible return of the United Kingdom to the EU. He stressed that the British will not be able to access only part of the benefits of the union without accepting the rules associated with them.
Open door for defense cooperation
His statement comes ahead of the EU-UK summit, scheduled for November 20 in Brussels. The European Council said the talks would discuss the next steps in bilateral relations, including security and defence, energy, agricultural rules, people-to-people contacts, migration and the fight against crime.
Barnier said Europe remained ready to deepen cooperation with Britain in foreign policy and defence. He welcomed London's support for Ukraine and said the EU was ready to review areas of the partnership that remained unresolved during the Brexit negotiations.
“We are still ready to open such chapters“, Barnier said, recalling that at the end of the negotiations in 2019 and 2020 he personally proposed to discuss defense, foreign policy, cooperation and services.
What remained unresolved after Brexit
According to Barnier, the then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson initially agreed to talk about these topics, but subsequently refused to continue working on them. Thus, relations between the EU and the UK were mainly regulated through the withdrawal agreements and the trade and cooperation partnership.
The former European negotiator made a distinction between political and economic cohesion. He said security cooperation could be expanded, but closer economic ties would depend on the adoption of clear rules.
Barnier added that the euro was not a prerequisite for Britain's eventual re-entry into the EU. However, he reiterated that free movement and other fundamental principles of the single market could not be divided at London's discretion.
Sources: bnrnews.bg, lbc.co.uk