British PM David Cameron has been warned by Former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer not to be too sure of German support in his bid to reform the EU.
It comes a week after German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to try to find a solution to the UK’s drive for reform.
Mr Fischer, an architect of European foreign policy, told the BBC that the UK was not a priority for Mrs Merkel reports BBC.
Mr Cameron is starting renegotiation of the terms of Britain’s EU membership ahead of a referendum.
But Mr Fischer said his advice to David Cameron was: “Don’t lose yourself in wishful thinking.
“Angela Merkel will do nothing which will endanger the basic principles of the common market, of the EU,” he told BBC Europe editor Katya Adler.
“And she has a much bigger problem to address – how to find a compromise in the currency union with Greece. That’s her priority number one now.”
Mr Fischer said it would be an “illusion” to think the UK would get special treatment because it is a major contributor to the EU budget.
He added: “What will the UK be without the EU? Go to Washington, ask them. The answer is very clear, very negative.”