MIDDAY BRIEF, IN BRIEF
Today at Commission, who cares about David Davis?
The Commission says it has ‘no comment on or no interest in’ the make-up of national governments.
In a move that surprised absolutely no one, the Commission’s chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas refused to say if his boss, Jean-Claude Juncker, really does want U.K. Brexit Secretary David Davis to be sacked, as Davis claimed on Friday morning.
“We do not have much to say,” Schinas told the midday briefing. “We have no comment on or no interest in the composition of any government in a member state. This is not our job.”
Schinas added “the only thing we would like to see” is the British having “a negotiator as good as Michel Barnier so we that we can start the job.”
He declined to comment when asked if he thought Davis was a good negotiator.
The Commission also confirmed it sent a letter to U.S. authorities about an expected expansion of the Trump administration’s laptop ban to include flights from Europe.
A phone call took place between “several EU ministers” and U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security John Kelly on Friday.
Staying with the EU-U.S. relationship, Schinas said there could be a press conference following Donald Trump’s meeting with Juncker and Donald Tusk on My 25 — or perhaps just a press statement.
To watch next week
The full agenda of the European commissioners is here.
Schinas said Juncker will on Tuesday morning meet with Mariya Gabriel, Bulgaria’s pick to be its next European commissioner.