<sod >Michel Barnier, a former French government minister and ex-European Commission vice-president, will spend the coming months preparing the ground in Brussels for the negotiations.< eod>< sod > Michel Barnier, a former French government minister and ex-European Commission vice-president, will start work after the holiday season and thenÃÂÃÂ spend the next few months preparing the ground in Brussels for the negotiations.< eod>