Brussels chief Michel Barnier bans banker meetings Bankers and their public affairs teams have been barred from meeting with staff at the EC's internal market and services department by its head, Michel Barnier, over concerns about the current sensitivity of its work. She added: "There have been extensive consultations on all these files, of all stakeholders, and views of banks have been widely heard and listened to in this context. All relevant consultation are now over. The move has drawn anger from banks that believe the decision to cut off communications at such an important time for the work makes little sense. "For us, it's a bit bizarre that the Commission has chosen to isolate itself in this way," said one senior bank executive at a major international lender based in London. The issue of bank lobbying has risen up the agenda this year as the authorities in Britain and in Brussels have outlined a series of reforms. The Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards had drawn attention to bank lobbying in its final report. This week, the UK's Banking Reform Bill passed into law after the government concede a series of last minute amendments after it faced off a potential rebellion in the House of Lords led by former Chancellor, Lord Lawson, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.