To secure clear, specific and binding guarantees by autumn 2017 on the rights of the citizens, the financial settlement and the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland before authorising any discussion on the future of the relationship between London and the EU: these are the objectives the European Commission has set for the negotiations to open in mid-June with the United Kingdom, outlined by the institution’s negotiator-in-chief, Michel Barnier, on Wednesday 3 May.