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Various French / German eurocrats and politicians have stated that they will not engage with the UK in informal talks (i.e. not before article 50 is invoked), but that's posturing at best.
Why would it be posturing?
There are so many possible permutations of what could happen, why would the EU wish to waste an enormous amount of work considering so many dead-end possibilities in the hope that one or two of them may be the shortlist.
The UK needs to say what it wants... in, or out. If we go with out, it's done and dusted and we can start negotiating what that looks like and it's a process that needs to be fast simply because there's a clock running.
I don't believe they are posturing, they are acting to reduce wastage of expensive resources (lawyers and politicians), whilst attempting to shorten the amount of time that we all must exist in this uncertain state.
They're doing the right thing for Europe. Which is, after all... the point of them.
Velocio-
Why would it be posturing?
It's posturing if the German government are saying it, as they are not the EU.
Sure, there's a whole heap of expensive, time consuming negotiations ahead, and the various parties may choose to minimise these prior to any Article 50 triggering, but any amount of negotiation now is negotiation in addition to the time boxed negotiation following the triggering, and from a position of relatively greater strength for the UK.
I understand the motive. I just don't see it being followed up, and it sounds like chest beating.
NotThamesWater
The opposite, in fact. Putting it off means that the UK has 2 years plus however long the UK puts off triggering article 50
Triggering it gives the UK 2 years.
Various French / German eurocrats and politicians have stated that they will not engage with the UK in informal talks (i.e. not before article 50 is invoked), but that's posturing at best.
Either way - At the moment, the UK is still a fully fledged member of the EU, with as much say in it as the other member states. Which includes a say in how the EU treats the UK in any potential exit from the EU.