With the clock ticking down to October 31st 2019, the date UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to take the UK out of the EU, deal or no-deal, he made his first public attempt to get the EU back to the negotiating table. The biggest issue which has prevented progress remains the Irish border, the only land border the UK will share with the EU. The land border would run between the Republic of Ireland, part of the EU, and North Ireland which is part of the UK. The EU insists on a backstop, negotiated and agreed on by former UK PM May and rejected three times by Parliament, which would essentially tie the UK to the EU customs regime and prevent it to strike trade deals of its own.

The EU has refused to discuss alternative ways of ensuring no land border. PM Johnson send a letter to outgoing European Council President Tusk where he suggested that the Irish backstop clause will be replaced by a legally binding commitment not to built infrastructure around the border and not to impose checks. The aim is to create an invisible border aided by technology. Johnson stated that the UK is willing to accept and enforce such a commitment if the EU is willing to do the same. He pointed out that both sides need “to put in place such arrangements as far as possible before the end of the transition period.” A transition period will only apply if the UK leaves the EU with a deal.