Former Brexit negotiator Barnier: UK should get flexibility on euro and Schengen if it rejoins EU

Former chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, now a French lawmaker, stated that the United Kingdom should have the option to rejoin the European Union without adopting the euro or joining the Schengen area. At POLITICO's European Pulse Seminar, Barnier emphasized that the EU's door remains open for a closer relationship with the UK, as long as Britain does not feel compelled to adopt the euro or rejoin Schengen.

Last month, POLITICO reported that Brussels would be willing to accommodate the UK's desire to avoid the euro and Schengen zone if it sought readmission. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has expressed a desire for the UK to eventually rejoin the EU, possibly through membership in the single market or customs union. Barnier, however, stressed that there cannot be any "cherry-picking" when it comes to joining the single market.

As a former French prime minister, Barnier also commented on the upcoming presidential election in France, describing the political climate as "pre-insurrectionary" and regretting that far-right candidates Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon are leading in the polls. Barnier noted that Le Pen's comments indicate a potential end to the European project as it has been built over the past 40 years, but he also pointed out that Le Pen's platform is not fundamentally different from that of Mélenchon, who is on the far left.