![\"EU's](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/C6AC\/production\/_95806805_barnierafp.jpg\")
Mrs Merkel stressed the need to protect the interests of some 100,000 Germans living in the UK.<\/p>\n
But she went on to say “we are also ready to make a fair offer to British citizens in Germany and the rest of Europe.<\/p>\n
“They are an important part of our community and should remain so.”<\/p>\n
Mrs Merkel noted the difficulty of unpicking 44 years’ worth of EU legislation that counts the UK as a member state.<\/p>\n
The UK triggered Article 50 on 29 March – the treaty clause that enables a state to leave the EU. It sets a two-year deadline for completion of the exit negotiations.<\/p>\n
The EU’s draft guidelines for the Brexit talks were issued on 31 March.<\/p>\n
The people who will negotiate Brexit<\/p>\n
Experts have warned that it usually takes the EU many years to negotiate free trade deals with non-EU countries. The EU-Canada deal, Ceta, was concluded after eight years of talks.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says some British people have “illusions” about discussing the UK’s future ties with the EU at the same time as nailing down the UK’s Brexit terms. The future relationship can only be discussed once the exit issues – such as UK payments to the EU budget – are resolved, she told […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107],"tags":[3355,798],"yoast_head":"\n