European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen holds a news conference on the European Defence Action Plan in Brussels, Belgium November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Vidal

BERLIN (Reuters) - It will require “a little miracle” for Britain and the European Union to complete negotiations on Britain’s exit from the bloc in the two-year timeframe allotted, EU Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen said on Monday.

Katainen told Reuters that European Commission officials were bracing for “extremely difficult” negotiations with Britain, but were trying to be pragmatic about the process.

“From the commission’s point of view, we want to put all the emotions and negative attitudes aside and try to be as pragmatic as possible,” Katainen said. “It’s a little miracle if they manage to do it in two years’ time, which is the timeframe set by the treaties.”