EU Council president Donald Tusk on Wednesday strikes a conciliatory, but realistic, tone as he unveils draft guidelines for negotiating future ties.
Donald Tusk's draft plans rebuffed many of the demands that Prime Minister Theresa May made in a long-awaited speech on the post-Brexit relationship between Britain and the EU after 2019.
EU President said the bloc does not want to "build a wall" with Britain as it leaves the bloc but warned in new guidelines for trade talks of a negative economic impact.
Donald Tusk said he wanted a standard free-trade deal with Britain after 2019, insisting that Britain could not "pick and mix" the benefits of EU membership.
"My proposal shows that we don't want to build a wall between the EU and Britain. On the contrary, the UK will be our closest neighbour and we want to remain friends and partners," EU Council president added.
EU Council president, who met May last week, said the EU would aim for an agreement "covering all sectors and with zero tariffs on goods", but said it must include access for EU fishing boats to British waters -- a highly sensitive issue for hardline Brexit supporters.
While the draft guidelines call for zero-tariff in goods, it warns that access for services will be limited because Britain will be outside the EU and will no longer have a common regulatory and judicial framework with the bloc.
Prime Minister Theresa May has committed Britain to leaving the EU's single market and customs union and ending the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
