EU Brexit negotiator Barnier has coronavirus

Brussels

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has tested positive for the coronavirus, increasing pressure on Britain to extend a trade talks deadline beyond the end of the year.

The 69-year-old Frenchman announced on Thursday (Mar 19) that he has the COVID-19 strain, though he insisted that he feels fine and would confine himself at home in France for as long as it is necessary.

Even before the revelation, Britain was under huge pressure to delay its Dec 31 deadline to reach a trade deal with Europe, especially given the economic chaos brought on by the global pandemic.

The talks began a month after Britain officially left the EU on Jan 31, and six weeks later both sides are still leagues apart on how they envision future ties, with tempers often flaring.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is steadfast that Britain will no longer obey EU rules at the end of 2020, the completion of a transition period during which London must follow EU law.

While Johnson has the power to extend it by one or two years, he has passed a UK law compelling Britain to wind up the transition this year.

In a video message, a healthy-looking Barnier made no reference to the impact of his predicament on Brexit talks.

"I tested positive yesterday for COVID-19. I'm as well as I can be, strictly confined to my home," he said, speaking in France.

"I'm fine, morale is good," the former French foreign minister added, wearing a sweater and speaking in front of a cluttered bookshelf.

Messages of support poured in from across Europe as well as Britain, where a government spokesman said: "We of course send Michel Barnier our best wishes."

Barnier's boss, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, also sent a warm message, wishing him a swift recovery.