Michel Barnier: EU can’t stop May from starting trade talks with Trump

Britain is still ‘part of the EU’s trade policy,’ the European Commission’s Brexit negotiator warns.

The European Union can’t stop Britain from negotiating a new trade deal with the United States, the Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator said Wednesday.

Michel Barnier’s comments come ahead of a scheduled meeting between British Prime Minister Theresa May and U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday.

Asked about the U.K.’s ability to open discussions on its future trade relationship with the U.S. before it leaves the EU, Barnier said: “What could prevent countries from talking?”

But the U.K. remains a “part of the EU’s trade policy” until it leaves the Union, he added, speaking at an event in Oslo.

The extent to which Britain can engage in trade talks before it completes its exit from the bloc has been a source of tension between London and Brussels. On Monday Commission spokesperson Margaritis Schinas warned the U.K. that it is playing with fire by opening trade talks with Australia.

May has vowed to launch divorce proceedings by the end of March, with negotiations expected to conclude by March 2019.