EU Draft Guidelines Say No Trade Talks Until Brexit Settled

BRUSSELS (AP) — The guidelines that European Union Council President Donald Tusk is putting to EU members make it clear that withdrawal from the bloc comes ahead of any new relationship with Britain even though the rough outlines such a relationship may partially overlap.

In the draft guidelines obtained by the Associated Press, it says that first the EU and Britain must “settle the disentaglement” of Britain from the EU but added that “an overall understanding on the framework for the future relationship could be identified during the second phase of the negotiations under Article 50.”

The guidelines also say the issue of citizens living in each other’s countries is a priority, and call for “flexible and imaginative solutions” for the issue of the U.K.’s land border with Ireland.