April 27, 2018

What kind of tariffs is protectionist Michel Barnier thinking of imposing on banking and financial services provided by the City of London to Europeans?

Sir, Mehreen Khan’s, Jim Brunsden’s and Sofia George Parker’s write thatin reference to that “the EU would have more to lose from cutting off the City of London than Britain would” Michel Barnier said: “This is not what we hear from market participants, and it is not the analysis that we have made ourselves.”“Barnier dismisses UK hopes of special market access for London after Brexit” April 27.

Sir, I must confess that Michel Barnier does not qualify as my favorite EU Brussels technocrat, but with this he certainly proves himself to be a protectionist, completely in the hands of the European financial intermediaries (the aluminum and steel producers) and with little consideration to all those European consumers of financial services that might prefer using the services and the legal framework provided by the City.

What kind of tariffs is Barnier thinking of imposing on banking and financial services? Has Michel Barnier really been authorized to impose on behalf of all the European Unions his will on all Brexit negotiations?

Sincerely, I do not think Barnier has thought this thru. He might be setting off a real European capital flight to London. 

@PerKurowski