EU walks back on vaccine export controls for N. Ireland

By Ata Ufuk Seker

BRUSSELS (AA) – The European Union (EU) has backtracked on its decision to enforce an emergency clause of the Brexit agreement to control COVID-19 vaccine exports to Northern Ireland.

The announcement came in a statement from the European Commission late on Friday night after condemnation from London, Dublin and Belfast.

“To tackle the current lack of transparency of vaccine exports outside the EU, the Commission is putting in place a measure requiring that such exports are subject to an authorization by member states,” the statement said.

“In the process of finalization of this measure, the Commission will ensure that the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol is unaffected. The Commission is not triggering the safeguard clause.”

The step, part of the bloc’s efforts to avert shortages in the EU, would have led to checks at the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland to stop vaccine shipments to the UK.

The decision was rescinded after talks between the European Commission president and leaders of the UK and Ireland.

In a Twitter post, Ursula von der Leyen said she spoke to Micheal Martin, the Irish taoiseach or prime minister, “to agree on a satisfactory way to introduce an export authorization mechanism for COVID vaccines.”

“Constructive talks with [UK] Prime Minister Boris Johnson tonight. We agreed on the principle that there should not be restrictions on the export of vaccines by companies where they are fulling contractual responsibilities,” she said in another post.

However, the European Commission warned that the bloc will keep an eye out for discrepancies.

“Should transits of vaccines and active substances toward third countries be abused to circumvent the effects of the authorization system, the EU will consider using all the instruments at its disposal,” read the statement.

The Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit agreement guarantees an open border between the EU and Northern Ireland, with no controls on exported products.

Under Article 16 of the protocol, the EU and the UK can take unilateral measures with regards to its operations if either side believes it is causing “economic, societal or environmental difficulties.”

* Writing by Gozde Bayar