Michel Barnier – Photo EC
(BRUSSELS) – Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has set up a Task Force to prepare for and conduct negotiations with the United Kingdom over leaving the European Union under under Article 50.
This follows his appointment in July of Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier as Chief Negotiator in charge of those negotiations and of the new Task Force.
Mr Juncker also announced the appointment of Sabine Weyand, currently Deputy Director-General in the Commission’s trade department, as Deputy Chief Negotiator as of 1 October 2016.
Ms Weyand, a German national, is seen as bringing much relevant experience to her new assignment. In her current position, she covers WTO matters, trade defence, TTIP and neighbourhood policy. Prior to this, she was in charge of policy coordination in the Commission’s Secretariat-General. She also was Member of Cabinet of Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and Head of Cabinet of Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel.
The Article 50 Task Force will be in charge of preparing and conducting the negotiations with the UK, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the EU. The Task Force will coordinate the Commission’s work on all strategic, operational, legal and financial issues related to these negotiations. It will be able to draw on policy support from all Commission services.
In line with the principle of ‘no negotiation without notification’, the task of the Chief Negotiator in the coming months will be to prepare the ground internally for the work ahead. Once the Article 50 process is triggered, he will take the necessary formal contacts with the UK authorities.
