Key facts
- Michel Barnier said the UK could retain special terms if it rejoined the EU.
- He suggested the UK could keep the pound and remain outside the Schengen passport-free travel area.
- Barnier cited existing precedents for EU member states with opt-outs from the single currency and Schengen.
- He indicated that any UK rejoining would be open to negotiation.
- Barnier suggested Brexit has made the UK's current economic and immigration problems more difficult.
- He proposed a new European Council for Defence and Security that could include the UK, Ukraine, and Norway.
Michel Barnier, the EU's former chief Brexit negotiator, has stated that Britain could retain special terms, including keeping the pound and remaining outside the passport-free Schengen travel area, if it were to rejoin the European Union. These comments, made ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Brexit referendum, challenge suggestions that the UK would face more difficult terms upon re-entry.
Barnier, who also served as prime minister of France, indicated that precedents exist for member states to have opt-outs from the single currency and the Schengen zone, suggesting it would be "perfectly possible" for the UK to secure similar exemptions. He noted that five EU member states that joined after 2004 have not yet adopted the euro, and Ireland is the only member with an official opt-out from Schengen.
His remarks are likely to be seen as a boost to pro-EU campaigners in the UK, particularly as polling indicates support for rejoining the bloc diminishes if prior opt-outs are not maintained. Barnier suggested that the UK's current economic challenges and immigration debates are exacerbated by Brexit, though he stopped short of attributing them solely to the departure from the EU.
Barnier also proposed the creation of a new European Council for Defence and Security, independent of EU institutions, which could include the UK, Ukraine, and Norway. This body would focus on cooperation in military initiatives and disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence. He expressed his belief that in an increasingly dangerous and unstable world, nations cannot afford to be isolated, a sentiment he thinks the British people will increasingly recognize.
Senior EU diplomats have recently expressed concerns about losing momentum in ongoing UK-EU "reset" talks, with disagreements persisting over issues such as pre-Brexit tuition fees for EU students. Barnier, who led the Brexit negotiations that concluded with a trade deal in December 2020, remains convinced that the UK made the wrong decision in leaving the EU.