European Council President Donald Tusk has congratulated Theresa May on her reappointment as British prime minister and urged her to start talks as soon as possible on Britain's exit from the EU to minimise disruption.
"Our shared responsibility and urgent task now is to conduct the negotiations on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union in the best possible spirit, securing the least disruptive outcome for our citizens, businesses and countries after March 2019," Tusk, who chairs summits of European Union leaders, said on Friday.
"The timeframe set by Article 50 of the Treaty leaves us with no time to lose," he added, referring to a deadline of March 2019 when Britain will no longer be a member of the bloc, whether or not a deal is reached to avoid legal uncertainties.
European Union leaders fear May's shock loss of her majority in the snap British election will delay Brexit talks, and raise the risk of negotiations failing.
Guenther Oettinger, the German member of the European Commission, said it was unclear negotiations could be launched on June 19, as planned.
The talks, which the EU wants to ensure a legally smooth British departure in March 2019, would be more uncertain without a strong negotiating partner, he added.
Another EU official in Brussels said it was too early to speculate on how the bloc would react to a change in Britain's demands for its withdrawal.
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