Barnier and France fear Brexit Britain’s next moves

Michel Barnier – still officially the EU’s Brexit taskforce leader – gives few interviews. As a Savoyard and keen mountaineer, as he habitually reminds us, he is a cautious man who advances step by step with the long climb firmly in his sights. So it was something of a surprise to see him appear on 16 February before the French Senate Brexit follow-on committee (renamed ‘groupe de suivi de la nouvelle relation euro-britannique’). It is a sign of the importance of how Brexit will play out for the French that the Senate has formed a very senior 20-strong commission to monitor and react to Brexit implementation and next stage negotiations.

Of course Barnier and France have an interest in Brexit being implemented as they see fit. But is there more to their common purpose? For Michel Barnier, former Gaullist agriculture and foreign minister, former president of the Senate Foreign Affairs Commission, is said to be preparing his candidacy for the May 2022 French presidential elections.