UK cannot 'cherry pick' EU single market deal, Barnier says
Former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier tells BBC that the UK cannot pick and choose single market conditions if it seeks to rejoin the European Union.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Michel Barnier states the UK cannot cherry-pick conditions to rejoin the EU single market.
- Re-entering the single market requires strict compliance with the four freedoms.
- Barnier labels past Brexit funding promises by political figures as false claims.
- Both sides look ahead to upcoming talks in Brussels covering food standards and youth visas.
Michel Barnier has firmly stated that there will be no cherry-picking allowed if the United Kingdom wishes to re-establish a deal to return to the European Union's internal market, nearly six years after its departure from the bloc.
The prime minister recently suggested that rejoining the internal market was among the options being considered to reshape bilateral ties, prompting reactions from European figures involved in past diplomatic relations.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Barnier emphasized that member states would insist on the UK readopting specific conditions, such as the free movement of people, in exchange for market access. He stressed that Europe does not offer an a la carte menu where nations can select individual elements.
The firm stance on the four freedoms highlights the European Union's defensive strategy to protect its internal market integrity. By refusing partial access, the EU ensures that non-member nations cannot exploit single market benefits without shouldering corresponding regulatory and social obligations.
Barnier, who led the EU delegation during the 2016-2021 Brexit talks and served briefly as French prime minister in 2024, reiterated that the European door remains open for the UK to rejoin as a full member under standard terms.
He explained that rejoining the single market demands full compliance with regulations promoting the circulation of goods, services, capital, and people, collectively known as the four freedoms.
"There will be no possibility to have one freedom and not the other. The four freedoms are clearly the four conditions to be inside a single market."
Michel Barnier
Barnier further predicted that EU nations would reject any attempts to reinstate the British financial rebate originally negotiated back in 1985, which had previously reduced annual UK budget contributions.
Source: BBC World
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