French presidential candidate Francois Fillon’s top diplomatic adviser says negotiations on the U.K.’s exit from the European Union will likely take more than the two years set under the bloc’s rules. “I can’t see how Brexit talks will fit in two years,” Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a former French prime minister, said in a phone interview. “I mean efficient talks. The trade accord we built with Canada took many more years, so I don’t believe that two years will be enough. The U.K. calls for pragmatic talks? But they decided to hold a referendum, which was a political act, so this negotiation can’t just be pragmatic.” Raffarin’s comments mark a change from Fillon’s former adviser, Bruno Le Maire, who said in February that the exit should take place as quickly as possible to respect the interests of France and Europe. The new aide, who met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and EU parliament’s head Antonio Tajani on April 11 in Brussels, says the talks shouldn’t be rushed so unity among European members is preserved. “We will need more time, and we must preserve our relationship with the U.K. as much as the unity in continental Europe,” Raffarin said. “We must not create divisions among partners. For example, Europe will not push for the split of Scotland or Northern Ireland. We must not play on division. We can’t have continental Europe be made fragile.” Fillon’s position on Brexit talks have been rather moderate throughout the campaign. The Republican nominee said in a March radio interview that the EU needs “lot of firmness but shouldn’t sanction the British people for a democratic choice.” He has repeatedly said the EU’s “four freedoms” can’t be chosen “a la carte” and that he would seek to maintain a strong bilateral relationship, if elected president. The candidate has said France would renegotiate the Touquet border-security-and-immigration accord if he’s president. Divorce Payment Fillon, 63, is among the top four contenders in the French presidential race, with the first round of the vote slated for April 23. Fillon, who was the favorite until the end of January when his campaign was hit by a series of scandals on his spending habits, is fighting for political survival. If he loses, it would mark the first time since 1965 that the Republicans will have been eliminated from the runoff. In an April 1 interview with Le Figaro newspaper, U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he believed talks with the European Union will be “difficult,” but that the U.K. won’t pay “big sums” for its exit. “We don’t want a Hollywood-like acrimonious divorce,” he said. Raffarin sketched out the cost of the of U.K. split. “The U.K. has two checks to pay: the 60 billion euros they’ll owe the EU, and then later on the check to have access to the European market, which will necessarily be higher than what it currently costs them,” he said. The top aide said the talks would have to avoid creating turmoil or voter resentment in the EU states. Raffarin said European nations should be aware of the 2019 EU parliamentary elections that represent a potential political risk ahead for the countries.