The EU's Brexit negotiator today denied reports that Britain and the bloc have come to an agreement on the UK's final divorce bill, saying that the "negotiation is not over".
"We read a lot of things on this subject in the press these days," said Barnier, referring to reports in British media that London and Brussels have agreed on Britain's financial obligations but had not settled on an exact amount for the so-called divorce bill.
But he stressed that "we still have work to do, the negotiation is not over on this subject."
The Telegraph has reported that London and Brussels have now accepted the British will pay between 45 and 55 billion euros, with the final figure depending "on how each side calculates the output from an agreed methodology".
Meanwhile the FT reported Britain would cover EU liabilities worth as much as 100 billion euros, but if structured as net payments over many decades, that could drop to less than half that amount.
But Barnier dismissed the reports as rumours.
"I see these articles, rumours, information," he said.
"I repeat to you that on these three key subjects of negotiations: citizens, borders and budget, we still need to work," he said in Berlin, referring to the rights of expatriate citizens after Brexit and the future of the Irish border, as well as the Brexit bill.
The aim is to reach a "stage of progress that is sufficient" to find a deal, he said.
"At the moment we are not there yet, and we will continue to work," added Barnier.
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