European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier gestures as he delivers a speech at the "Les Grandes Conferences Catholiques", in Brussels, Belgium, November 5, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Monday that divorce negotiations with London were not driven by a sense of revenge and that a no-deal, or a “hard” Brexit would spell trouble for expatriates.

Speaking at a Catholic gathering in a music hall in Brussels, Barnier also said any Brexit deal had to maintain an open Irish border to protect peace on the island that has seen decades of sectarian violence.