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Cabinet ministers have been invited to the UK's draft deal with the EU but it is not yet complete.
Theresa May has said that the withdrawal is 95% done – but there is no agreement yet in the United Kingdom.
This is the most contentious area, with the UK as the prime minister under the EU.
The UK is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.
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But Michel Barnier said it was "more important than it is needed".
Mrs May has described the withdrawal agreement – covering issues like citizens' rights, the transition period and Gibraltar – as being 95% complete.
Leaving the Cabinet Office, Environment Secretary Michael Gove told Sky News it was a "great document".
The UK and the EU can not agree to the new arrangements in Northern Ireland.
Backstop: The EU's view
BBC Brussels correspond Adam Fleming
Brussels is more concerned about the form in which the backstop exists, not how it's exited from.
The EU is exploring the concept of a UK-wide customs arrangement to deal with the Irish border issue. But they want more guarantees on rules and regulations if they are to offer the UK quota-free and tariff-free access to the single market.
Some question if it's legally possible to agree during the Brexit talks instead of in the future negotiations.
Others freight that they're being kept in the dark by the EU negotiators. But Brussels is united on two issues: the ultimate insurance policy remains a Northern Ireland-only element to the backstop, and the UK can not decide to withdraw from it on its own.
Both sides agree to put in place a backstop, also referred to as an insurance policy, which would only be triggered if a future trade deal is not in place by the end of 2020 – or if this final deal does not ensure a frictionless border.
This is because there are some things that can not be done in the United States.
One option for the backstop is for the United Kingdom to be continued to the EU's customs union, avoiding the need for customs checks at the border.
But how long this would last, and how could the arrangement be terminated?
The government is under the pressure of some Tories, as well as Labor, to publish the precise legal advice.
