Who is Michel Barnier?

He is the EU’s chief negotiator in the second phase of Brexit negotiations with the UK, as head of the newly created Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom (UKTF). Previously, he was chief negotiator during talks over the Withdrawal Agreement, when he led the European Commission’s Article 50 Task Force. Prior to the start of Brexit negotiations in October 2016, he was a special advisor to the then president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, on defence and security.