Michel Barnier used to use his love of mountaineering to hint at his ability to reach seemingly unattainable peaks. For many years, Brexit seemed like one of those peaks. And the choice in 2016 of this veteran politician, with a rigid appearance and limited command of English, to undertake the most thankless task in the history of the European Union – the British divorce – generated enormous scepticism in Brussels and London. Barnier did not give up and, on the verge of the deadline at the end of 2020, he reached an agreement that later revealed major cracks, but which then led to the agreement after years of tortuous dialogue.
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