EU will not trigger 'safeguard clause' over vaccine exports to Northern Ireland

 The European Commission confirmed late on Friday that it would not trigger controls on shipments of vaccines to Northern Ireland amid an ongoing row with the United Kingdom over access to treatments to prevent COVID-19.

By Euronews & AP  •  Updated: 30/01/2021 - 07:39

Earlier on Friday the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster, accused the EU of committing “a hostile and aggressive act” after speculation that tighter export rules of COVID-19 vaccines could stop them from being transported over the border from Ireland, an EU member state, to the north.

The video could not be embedded here. But you can watch it on:  

https://www.euronews.com/video/2021/01/29/northern-ireland-leader-slams-eu-for-hostile-vaccine-export-move

This would be in contravention of the post-Brexit deal signed between Brussels in London to prevent a 'hard border' between Ireland and Northern Ireland in contravention of the Good Friday peace deal.

“They are trying to stop the supply of a vaccine into the UK. For years we were told after the EU referendum vote that there couldn't be a hard border on the island of Ireland. And in one fell swoop they have put that hard border in place,” Foster said.

It followed the EU’s decision to put controls on exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine to prioritise EU member states and an ongoing dispute between London and Brussels over access to the drugs.

On Friday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen to "express his grave concerns about the potential impact which the steps the EU has taken today on vaccine exports could have," according to a British government statement.

But in a statement late Friday, the Commission confirmed it was not invoking Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol allowing either side to override parts of their deal.

“The Commission is not triggering the safeguard clause,” it said in its statement, adding that the restricting regulations have yet to be finalized and won't be adopted before Saturday.

• Europe's week: EU's vaccine row with AstraZeneca dominates
• Amid vaccines row, EU adopts regulation to control export of COVID-19 jabs

The EU hit out at AstraZeneca this week after the company said it would only supply 31 million doses of vaccine in initial shipments, instead of the 80 million doses it had hoped to deliver. Brussels claimed AstraZeneca would supply even less than that, just one-quarter of the doses due between January and March — and member countries began to complain.

The European Commission is concerned that doses meant for Europe might have been diverted from an AstraZeneca plant on the continent to the U.K., where two other company sites are located. The EU also wants doses at two sites in Britain to be made available to European citizens.

“The UK has legally-binding agreements with vaccine suppliers and it would not expect the EU, as a friend and ally, to do anything to disrupt the fulfillment of these contracts,” the UK said.

https://www.euronews.com/2021/01/29/northern-ireland-leader-slams-eu-for-hostile-vaccine-export-move

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MON2XRXj1M

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COVID-19 vaccine: EU threatens to block exports over AstraZeneca delivery delays

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•26 Jan 2021

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"In the future, all companies producing vaccines against COVID-19 in the EU will have to provide early notification whenever they want to export vaccines to third countries," the bloc's Health Commissioner said following a call with AstraZeneca.

Comments

MrTheBoycie1 day ago

So glad weve left the bloc heads. Currupt muppets.

Doochack3 days ago (edited)

HAHAAHA. The EU are a joke!!!!!! Trying to blame AZ for the EU's failure to buy early enough and approving way later than other countries!

Annoying B'stard14 hours ago

I've yet to hear a single word of criticism of the EU's incompetence on this channel. Which is strange for a supposed news organisation.

Jude Willis2 days ago

It's a vaccine produce by a British university it was funded almost entirely with British Money and Britain ordered it's supply 3 months before the EU and also started its inoculation program weeks before the EU so of course the company should prioritize supply to the UK over the EU

Maew Maew3 days ago (edited)

I feel sorry for people especially the older ones who get effected by this delay vaccine but it is a nasty political game to blame UK for being advantageously well prepared for situation. When UK prepped things months ahead of EU. You don't jump the queue in supper market shopping, do you? You are in a queue. And this pharmaceutical company did not run a charity. They made deal contracts business to keep. Instead of shifting blame those disgraceful beaurocats should take a good look of themselves why they are here fallen behind instead of bullying their way in. And the jabs are not even approved yet. Stop spreading faults news to discredit good job that UK has done for their own people. You are to blame at your own fault.

Steve Murnan3 days ago (edited)

The Truth Behind The False EU Claims. Article By Robert Peston of ITV The important difference between AstraZeneca's relationship with the UK and with the EU, and the reason it has fallen behind schedule on 50 million vaccine doses promised to the EU, is that the UK agreed the deal with AstraZeneca a full three months before the EU did - which gave AstraZeneca an extra three months to sort out manufacturing and supply problems relating to the UK contract (there were plenty of problems). Here is the important timeline. In May AstraZeneca reached an agreement with Oxford and the UK government to make and supply the vaccine. In fact Oxford had already started work on the supply chain. The following month AstraZeneca reached a preliminary agreement with Germany, the Netherlands, France and Italy, a group known as the Inclusive Vaccine Alliance, based on the agreement with the UK. The announcement was June 13. But, the EU insisted that the Inclusive Vaccine Alliance could not formalise the deal. The European Commission insisted it should take over the contract negotiations on behalf of the whole EU. So there were another two months of talks and the contract was not signed till the end of August. What is frustrating for AstraZeneca is that the extra talks with the European Commission led to no material changes to the contract, but wasted time on making arrangements to make the vaccine with partner sites. The yield at these partner sites has been lower than expected. The problem is in the course of being sorted. AstraZeneca say it is working 24/7 to make up the time and deliver the quantities the EU wanted. It says its contract with the EU - as with the UK - was always on a "best effort" basis, because it was starting from scratch to deliver unprecedented amounts for no profit. AstraZeneca is not blaming the EU. But it does not understand why it is being painted as the "bad guy" given that if the deal had happened in June, when Germany, the Netherlands, France and Italy wanted it done, most of these supply issues would already have been sorted. A pro-EU source at the company says "I understand Brexit better now". PS. According to AstraZeneca, the EU claim that it pays less to AstraZeneca per dose, and that is why AstraZeneca "works harder for the UK than for the EU", is "completely incorrect". It charges the same price to all buyers, wherever they are in the world, subject to small adjustments due to local costs.

John Bower3 days ago (edited)

Why hasn’t it been interrupted in the UK ? The UK is 3 months ahead and has had the opportunity to iron out its production and supply issues by now. Instead of blame and threats (which is childish) why don’t the EU focus on constructive and effective solutions, lives are at risk. And by the way, AstraZeneca & Oxford are doing this profit free.