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As a close aide to Michel Barnier, Stefaan De Rynck had a front row seat in the Brexit negotiations. In this frank and uncompromising account, De Rynck tells the EU’s side of the story and seeks to dispel some of the myths and spin that have become indelibly linked to the Brexit process. From the mood in the room to the technical discussions, he gives an unvarnished account of the deliberations and obstacles that shaped the final deal.
De Rynck demonstrates how the EU-27’s unity held firm throughout, while the UK vacillated, changed negotiators, changed prime ministers and changed their aims and tactics. Attempts by the UK to run down the clock and issue ultimatums to force the EU to acquiesce are shown to have had no effect on the course of events. Instead Barnier’s team was successful in protecting EU interests, in fulfilling the mandate defined by 27 national governments while still agreeing different forms of Brexit with two UK prime ministers.
For the EU, Brexit was not, as some UK commentators and politicians liked to portray it, a fight with the UK. It was a fight to get a deal that worked for the EU.
An insider account of how the EU dealt with Brexit by one of the close aides of Michel Barnier, the EU’s former chief negotiator. Without descending into triumphalism, the book shows how the EU achieved all its main strategic objectives — while the British side played a weak hand badly.
Foreword by Peter Foster
Chronology
Introduction
Part I: Uniting the EU (June 2016–December 2017)
1. No negotiation without notification
2. More glue for uniting the EU
3. Brexit bill: show EU the money
4. Protecting citizens’ rights: which rights, which citizens?
Q. How do we explain the unity of the EU?
Part II: On the elusive search for a bespoke relationship (July 2016–November 2018)
5. The transition period (aka “a vassal state”)
6. The Barnier staircase from Norway to Canada: it is cold outside of the EU
7. Theresa May wants a common rulebook on UK terms
8. The Salzburg summit, sound but no music
Q. Was Mutti Merkel tougher than the rest?
Part III: On the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland (June 2017–December 2020)
9. The origins of the backstop
10. Theresa May’s Pyrrhic victory
11. Boris Johnson meets Brexit reality
12. Johnson agrees to customs checks in the Irish Sea
Q. Did the EU fail to understand Northern Ireland?
Part IV: The journey towards the meaning of Brexit (2020– )
13. The UK leaving global Europe: strategic myopia by the EU?
14. The rollercoaster ride to a level playing field
15. Frosty negotiations on a new relationship
Q. On the art of the deal?
Conclusion