“I AM a man of the mountains,” declared Michel Barnier in 1992, soon before the Winter Olympics that he brought to Albertville, a small town in the French Alpine region of Savoy. If snooty officials once derided Mr Barnier, who will lead the European Union’s talks with Britain over its exit, as le crétin des Alpes, today few Europeans have any complaints over his navigation of Brexit’s craggy terrain. Since his appointment last July Mr Barnier has dutifully trotted around Europe listening to concerns from governments, parliamentarians and businesses, while assembling a crack team of negotiators in Brussels. Now, says Mr Barnier, in a conversation this week with European newspapers, it is time to get on with the job.
If only it were that easy. In March Theresa May, Britain’s prime minister, began a two-year Brexit negotiation by triggering Article 50 of the EU treaty. The election she called afterwards was supposed to consolidate...Continue reading
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