• Last minute coronavirus

The

European Union

(EU) has backtracked and decided

not to implement controls to prevent the entry of vaccines into Northern Ireland

.

Brussels

had announced on Friday night the invocation of Article 16 of the Irish Protocol, included in the Brexit Agreement, to prevent

Northern Ireland from

being used as a back door for the entry of thousands of doses into the United Kingdom.

Prime Minister

Boris Johnson

called for "an urgent clarification of EU actions" and Irish Prime Minister

Micheál Martin

harshly criticized the sudden reaction from Brussels.

The two spoke by phone with the president of the European Commission,

Ursula Von der Leyen

, who shortly after decided to rectify.

EU sources acknowledged to

The Guardian

that the hasty decision to impose vaccine controls between the two Irlanders had been a "mistake".

The announcement was made in the context of the

European Commission's

decision to

require export authorizations for doses manufactured on the continent, given the lack of supplies for the vaccination campaigns of the 27.

The invocation of Article 16, just a month after the consummation of Brexit, has created a diplomatic conflict between London and Brussels.

The EU intervention was condemned as "an incredible act of hostility" by

Arlene Foster

, Chief Minister of Northern Ireland.

Unionist politics has asked Boris Johnson to unilaterally renounce the Irish Protocol, contained in the Brexit Agreement.

Article 16 of the Irish Protocol is essentially a safeguard to allow both the EU and the UK to act unilaterally in the event of "serious economic, social or environmental difficulties".

At the time of justifying its activation, the European Commission alleged that "the lack of supplies that threatens to interfere with vaccination campaigns in the member states" can be considered as "a serious social difficulty".

Interestingly, Arlene Foster herself had asked Johnson days ago to invoke Article 16 in the face of supply problems to Northern Ireland supermarkets due to Brexit.

Foster was opposed in his day to the creation of an "internal customs" that obliges to establish controls in its ports to the merchandise coming from Great Britain.

Although it is still legally part of the "customs territory" of the United Kingdom,

Northern Ireland remains aligned with the rules of the single market to avoid the return to the "hard" border within the island.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • UK

  • European Comission

  • Boris johnson

  • London

  • European Union

  • Ursula von der Leyen

  • Coronavirus

  • Vaccinations

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