Photographer: Anthony Devlin / Bloomberg
Photographer: Anthony Devlin / Bloomberg
The European Union was forced to change its new one hastily vaccine controls after provoking outrage because they involved restricting exports to Northern Ireland, reviving tensions that nearly failed Brexit negotiations.
A few hours after the blog 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 initial plan included an option for the EU to invoke an emergency clause in the Brexit agreement to prevent vaccines from leaving the bloc in Northern Ireland. The threat of restrictions between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland was dismayed in Dublin, London and Belfast, and all parties pressured the EU to reverse course.
But while the EU’s executive arm will not trigger the controversial clause, it did not completely eliminate the threat. He warned that he would consider using “all instruments” if vaccine export bans were avoided.
Even raising the faint prospect of reintroducing checkpoints would unsettle something delicate political balance. The key to the Brexit deal was to avoid controls between the north and south of Ireland, a one-off border region that suffered decades of violence.
The EU measure even endangered traditional political enemies in Northern Ireland. Sinn Fein said it was a “grave mistake”, 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 series of communication disasters for the EU 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 had come in a hurry, with the controversial sections of Northern Ireland only added at the end of the drafting process, according to someone familiar with the matter.
Any manipulation of the fragile Irish border problem has more than just political ramifications. It would also be a concern companies in Northern Ireland, which had already struggled to import goods from Britain since Brexit came into force on 1 January.
Vaccine measures, which will come into force on Saturday, require drug manufacturers to seek authorization before sending doses made in the EU to other countries. Approval will occur if the amount does not threaten the agreed deliveries on the block.
Even with the amendment of the Northern Ireland issue, actions continue enormously controversial. The EU has been criticized for controls by the World Health Organization, companies and governments outside the bloc.
– With the assistance of Tim Ross