Latest Michel Barnier News

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020 file photo, Pro-EU supporter Peter Cook unfurls a Union and EU flag prior to a ceremony to celebrate British and EU friendship outside the European Parliament in Brussels. Eleven months after Britain’s formal departure from the EU, Brexit becomes a fact of daily life on Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File)

Brexit's choice for EU, UK: firm friends or nearby rivals

Dec. 31, 2020 3:58 AM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — The New Year could finally bring a fresh start and a commitment to let bygones be bygones for Britain and the European Union. But don’t bet on it. The U.K. has chosen to leave the EU, setting a course away from the continental mainland. But the two sides’ histories have been...

A colleague wears a Christmas hat as European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier, center, carries a binder of the Brexit trade deal during a special meeting of Coreper, at the European Council building in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 25, 2020. European Union ambassadors convened on Christmas Day to start an assessment of the massive free-trade deal the EU struck with Britain. After the deal was announced on Thursday, EU nations already showed support for the outcome and it was expected that they would unanimously back the agreement, a prerequisite for its legal approval. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool via AP)

No time to rest: EU nations assess Brexit trade deal with UK

Dec. 25, 2020 10:32 AM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — The fast-track ratification of the post-Brexit trade deal between the U.K. and the European Union got underway on Christmas Day as ambassadors from the bloc's 27 nations started assessing the accord that takes effect in a week. At Friday’s exceptional meeting, the ambassadors were...

European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, left, speaks with Ambassador Michael Clauss, Permanent Representative of Germany to the European Union, during a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Problems increased Monday in the bid to put a trade deal between the European Union and the United Kingdom before a Brexit transition period ends on New Year's Day, with the EU legislature insisting it will not have time to approve a deal. (John Thys, Pool via AP)

EU-UK leaders seek way out of Brexit trade impasse

Dec. 22, 2020 3:52 PM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union and the United Kingdom kicked efforts into higher gear on Tuesday to settle a fight over EU fishing quotas in British waters, the main obstacle to a trade deal that would avoid a chaotic New Year's Day economic divorce between the two. EU nations insisted that they would...

Britain's chief negotiator David Frost, center, leaves EU headquarters after a meeting with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020. The EU and the United Kingdom were still working Sunday on a

EU-UK trade talks floundering over fish as cutoff day nears

Dec. 20, 2020 5:27 PM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — With yet another Brexit deadline disappearing in the rearview mirror, a breakthrough on fishing rights remained elusive for the European Union and Britain on Sunday — leaving both without a trade agreement that would dull the cutting edge of a chaotic, costly economic break on New...

European Union flags flutter in the wind outside EU headquarters in Brussels, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020. The European Union and the United Kingdom were starting a

Fishing talks move at snail's pace in EU-UK Brexit standoff

Dec. 19, 2020 12:57 PM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union and British negotiators on Saturday extended their standoff over EU fishing rights in U.K. waters and remained unable to make a decisive breakthrough in trade talks aimed at averting a chaotic and costly post-Brexit split on New Year's Day. Despite movement on major issues...

A man sits in a bench under the sun outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. European Commission's Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom Michel Barnier said that the bloc and the United Kingdom were starting a

EU says EU-UK face weekend 'last attempt' to get trade deal

Dec. 18, 2020 12:56 PM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union and the United Kingdom are heading into the weekend on a “last attempt" to clinch a post-Brexit trade deal, with EU fishing rights in British waters the most notable remaining obstacle to avoid a chaotic and costly changeover in the new year. British Prime...

An anti-Brexit demonstrator holds an EU flag in Parliament Square, in London, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she saw clear progress in the trade talks with the UK, turning a post-Brexit deal from a fleeting possibility into an ever more realistic possibility. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

EU, UK leaders concede big gaps remain in post-Brexit talks

Dec. 17, 2020 4:11 PM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — The U.K. and the European Union provided sober updates Thursday on the state of post-Brexit trade discussions, with only two weeks to go before a potentially chaotic split. While Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union’s executive commission, noted “substantial...

A man walks by an electronic stock board of a securities firm in Tokyo, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. Shares rose in Asia on Wednesday after revived hopes for more aid for the U.S. economy broke a four-day losing streak on Wall Street. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Asian stocks advance after stimulus talks lift Wall St

Dec. 15, 2020 10:48 PM EST

Shares rose in Asia on Wednesday after revived hopes for more aid for the U.S. economy broke a four-day losing streak on Wall Street. Japan reported weaker than expected export data for November, despite a recovery in trade with China, its biggest market. Overnight, the S&P 500 gained 1.3% as investors grew...

A currency trader walks near the screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020. Asian shares sank on Tuesday after a lackluster day on Wall Street as investors wait to see if Congress can break a logjam on delivering more aid to people, businesses and local governments affected by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Asian shares decline following lackluster day on Wall Street

Dec. 14, 2020 10:53 PM EST

Asian shares sank on Tuesday after a lackluster day on Wall Street as investors wait to see if Congress can break a logjam on delivering more aid to people, businesses and local governments affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell after Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga...

European Commission's Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom Michel Barnier talks to the media outside the EU headquarters in Brussels, Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. Teetering on the brink of a no-deal Brexit departure, Britain and the European Union stepped back from the void Sunday and agreed to continue trade talks, although both downplayed the chances of success. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

EU's chief negotiator still hopes to clinch EU-UK trade deal

Dec. 14, 2020 7:43 AM EST

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union chief negotiator Michel Barnier said Monday he still firmly believes that a post-Brexit trade agreement is possible, and whittled down the major outstanding disputes to be settled ahead of the New Year to just two. Britain, meanwhile, said the negotiations now taking place in...

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