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London (AFP) – The main stumbling block in the Brexit negotiations is how to keep the land border open between Britain and Ireland after Britain's withdrawal from the Union European.
London believes that border controls can be avoided through a new trade deal with Brussels, but admits the need for a fallback plan to solve the problem until this deal is reached.
The terms of what is known as the "safety net" are, however, controversial and both parties are trying to resolve their differences before the EU summit next week.
Why is this a problem?
After Brexit, the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will become an external border of the EU.
Britain says it wants to leave the customs union and the bloc's single market, which means that checks will be needed on people and products crossing one territory to another.
But London and Brussels are committed to avoiding any physical infrastructure, called "hard border".
Residents and businesses on both sides of the now largely invisible 300-mile (500 km) border also emphasize the importance of maintaining the free flow of trade and passenger traffic.
At least 30,000 people cross the border every day in search of work, many residents of border regions living on one side and working on the other.
Is there a security risk?
British and Irish army checkpoints along the border were removed following a 1998 peace agreement called the Good Friday Agreement, which largely ended three decades conflict in Northern Ireland during which approximately 3,500 people were killed.
The border during The Troubles was a hot spot for the attacks and a lucrative smuggling route that financed the paramilitaries.
Police warned that any new infrastructure along the border could become a target of paramilitary activity by dissident non-signatory peace activists.
What does the EU propose?
The EU proposal to ensure Northern Ireland 's support within the single market and the customs union of the bloc would mean that it would accept the rules of the EU. EU in terms of quality standards and would apply EU tariffs.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said this was unacceptable, saying it would create a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the country by creating a border in the Irish Sea.
The largest foreign market in Northern Ireland is Great Britain, with 58% of sales outside the province, nearly four times the value of exports to Ireland in 2016.
The question is particularly sensitive in that May's government is supported by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland, which rejects any attempt to change the status of the province.
What does Britain want?
The May proposal for support is to create a temporary customs arrangement between the EU and Britain, including Northern Ireland.
But she suggests that this mechanism should only be in place until the end of December 2021 – something that Brussels has rejected, said any retreat plan can not be limited in time.
Place to compromise?
According to the EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, "most checks can be carried out outside the border, in the premises of the company or in the market".
But controls in ports and airports would remain, which Britain opposes.
At the same time, the British government indicated that it could be subject to regulatory controls between Britain and Northern Ireland, noting that there were already some, for example on agricultural products.
London has not yet released any plans regarding regulatory issues, for example rules on the temperature of milk marketed across the Irish border.
However, the DUP warned that it would not accept a customs or regulatory border between Northern Ireland and the rest of Britain.
