The European Union was forced to hastily amend its new vaccine controls after sparking outrage because they involved restricting exports to Northern Ireland, reigniting tensions that almost scuppered 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 unaffected.”
The initial plan included an option for the EU to invoke an emergency clause in the Brexit deal to prevent vaccines going from the bloc 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 sides pressuring the EU to reverse course.
But while the EU’s executive arm won’t trigger the controversial clause, it didn’t entirely remove the threat. It warned it will consider using “all instruments” if the vaccine export bans are circumvented.
Even raising the faint prospect of reintroducing checkpoints would unsettle a delicate political balance. Key to the Brexit deal was avoiding checks between the north and south of Ireland, a flashpoint border region that suffered decades of violence.
The EU move even put traditional political enemies in Northern Ireland in rare agreement. Sinn Fein said it was a “grave error,” while the Democratic Unionist Party described it as an “‘incredible act of hostility.”
Being forced to issue a statement just before midnight on Friday in Brussels was the latest in a string of communication disasters for the EU’s executive arm, starting a week ago with the news that AstraZeneca Plc won’t deliver as many vaccines as promised.
The EU’s export proposals had been produced in haste, with the controversial sections on Northern Ireland added only at the very end of the drafting process, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Any tampering with the fragile Irish border issue doesn’t just have political ramifications. It would also be a worry to businesses in Northern Ireland, which were already having difficulties importing goods from Great Britain since Brexit took effect on Jan. 1.
The vaccine measures, due to take effect on Saturday, require drugmakers to seek authorization before sending doses made in the EU to other countries. Approval will happen if the amount doesn’t threaten agreed deliveries in the bloc.
Even with the amendment to the Northern Ireland issue, the actions remain hugely controversial. The EU has faced criticism for the controls from the World Health Organisation, businesses and governments outside the bloc.
— With assistance by Tim Ross
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January 30, 2021 at 05:45AM
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