LONDON – French President Francois Hollande told Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday that Brexit negotiations must first deal with how Britain would leave the European Union before talks could be held on Britain’s future relations with the bloc, his office said.
The outgoing French president told May in a telephone call that the negotiations must be held in a “clear and constructive manner, so as to lift uncertainties and to fully respect the rules and interests of the 27-member European Union.”
A statement from Hollande’s Elysee office said: “The president indicated that the talks must at first be about the terms of withdrawal, dealing especially with citizens’ rights and obligations resulting from the commitments made by the United Kingdom.”
“On the basis of the progress made, we could open discussions on the framework of future relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union,” it added.
Hollande’s comments echoed those of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who on Thursday rejected May’s request that the terms of Britain’s exit be discussed in parallel with negotiations regarding a future UK-EU trade deal.
"The negotiations must first clarify how we will disentangle our interlinked relationship," Merkel said in Berlin.
"Only when this question is dealt with can we - hopefully soon after - begin talking about our future relationship."
In her letter to the European Council's president, Donald Tusk, May expressed her wish for the terms of Brexit to be dealt with at the same time as negotiations over a possible long-term free-trade arrangement. She wrote that she believed it was "necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the European Union."
But the leaders of arguably Britain's two biggest European allies have rejected this request, dealing a blow to May's negotiation strategy less than 24 hours after she triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
