Photographer: Anthony Devlin / Bloomberg
Photographer: Anthony Devlin / Bloomberg
The European Union has had to rush to change its new one vaccine controls after causing outrage, as they involved restricting exports to Northern Ireland, resuming tensions that almost shattered Brexit negotiations.
Just hours after the bloc announced the controversial new measures, the European Commission issued a statement to clarify that it will “ensure that the Ireland / Northern Ireland Protocol is not affected”.
The original plan included an option for the EU to invoke an emergency clause in the Brexit agreement to prevent block vaccines going to Northern Ireland. The threat of restrictions between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland was met with dismay in Dublin, London and Belfast, with all parties pressing the EU to reverse course.
But while the EU’s executive arm will not trigger the controversial clause, it has not completely eliminated the threat. He warned that he would consider using “all instruments” if circumventing vaccine export bans.
Even raising the weak prospect of reintroducing checkpoints would worry a delicate issue. political balance. The key to the Brexit agreement was to avoid controls between northern and southern Ireland, a border region that has suffered decades of violence.
The EU movement has even put the traditional political enemies of Northern Ireland in a rare agreement. Sinn Fein said it was a “grave mistake”, while the Democratic Unionist Party described it as “an incredible act of hostility”.
Forced to issue a statement just before midnight on Friday in Brussels, he was the last in a series of communication disasters for the EU’s executive arm, starting a week ago with the news that AstraZeneca Plc will not deliver as many vaccines as promised.
The EU’s export proposals were drafted in a hurry, with controversial sections on Northern Ireland added only at the end of the drafting process, according to someone familiar with the matter.
Any manipulation of the fragile problem of the Irish border has more than just political ramifications. It would also be a concern to companies in Northern Ireland, which had already had difficulty importing goods from the UK since Brexit came into force on 1 January.
Vaccination measures, due to take effect on Saturday, require drug manufacturers to apply for authorization before sending doses made to the EU to other countries. Approval will occur if the amount does not threaten the agreed bulk deliveries.
Even with the amendment to the Northern Ireland issue, the action remains extremely controversial. The EU has been criticized for controls by the World Health Organization, businesses and governments outside the bloc.
– With the assistance of Tim Ross