A German trade expert has been appointed to a senior role in the European commission’s Brexit team. Sabine Weyand, a deputy director general at the commission’s trade department, will take up the post of deputy chief negotiator of the Brexit taskforce from 1 October. The taskforce will be led by the veteran French politician and Brussels insider Michel Barnier, who was appointed in July. Weyand, who speaks English and French, has risen through the ranks of the European commission since joining in 1994, after studying for a PhD in European integration. Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, has insisted there will be “no negotiations without notification” of article 50, the EU exit clause.

Source: The Guardian September 14, 2016 13:33 UTC