So the E.U. fiddled with red-tape while the U.K. got on with obtaining vaccines - a critical Brexit test passed! But what's this about France wanting to cut our electric off?
The EU, the UK and vaccine nationalism! The EU is not happy with ASstraZeneca! (4k)
The snail's pace delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to the people has become a red-hot political issue in the E.U., while Brexit U.K. gets on with the task of obtaining vaccine supplies and jabbing arms.
And whatever your personal views on vaccines, this has turned into a philosophical battle between the concepts of the nation-state and a centralised power.
And it seems that the sovereign once more U.K. is winning through.
The E.U. insisted that its member states stop their vaccine plans and leave it all to the Brussels. The Eurocrats then faffed about and came late to the table, getting roundly criticised in the process. And the whole E.U. looks on as Brexit U.K. gets on with the job.
So, it seems that the E.U. is now casting about for someone to blame and is calling dirty tricks by the U.K. and the vaccine company AstraZeneca.
So, what are the issues behind all of this?
Well, it all hinges on two vaccines and their makers.
The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine produced in Belgium, and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in the U.K. in Keele and Oxford and is also gearing up for production in the E.U.
And because the U.K. took an early punt across the board and invested £100 million in a vaccine plant, it could get the vaccination process running very quickly.
But it seems that production in the E.U. is experiencing difficulties, meaning their vaccination programme will be slowed down.
And that, of course, has alarmed Brussels, who will not want to be seen as failing where Brexit U.K. is succeeding.
But the wheels had already been coming off of the E.U. inoculation programme, with Germany feeling forced to try and by-pass the E.U. system to snap up doses from elsewhere.
And Hungary went to Russia and bought a million doses of the Sputnik vaccine.
Not only that, right at the start when Germany, the Netherlands, France and Italy got together in the 'Inclusive Vaccine Alliance', the E.U. stepped in and said no - Brussels runs the show, not you.
Now, the E.U., already having been hit by Pfizer production problems was then told by AstraZeneca that their supplies to the E.U. would be 60% short at 31 million doses instead of 80 million.
Sending the E.U. Commission into meltdown. And they've hauled the bosses of AstraZeneca across the coals insisting that their contract be properly fulfilled.
And the latest is that the E.U. has demanded that the company divert vaccines away from the U.K. and into the E.U.
The E.U. Commission has also ordered vaccine companies within the E.U. to notify them before they export vaccines out of the bloc.
And the E.U. Health Commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, raised the stakes by talking about an export transparency programme and saying that the explanations made by AstraZeneca about the shortages were 'unacceptable' and that:
"The European Union will take any action required to protect its citizens and rights."
While the German Health Minister Jens Spahn said:
"This is not about E.U. first, this is about Europe's fair share."
And EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said:
"Europe invested billions to help develop the world's first Covid-19 vaccines. And now, the companies must deliver. They must honour their obligations."
And that would have repercussions. As the former health secretary, Jeremy Hunt told the Telegraph.
But in a series of Tweets covering these events, ITV's Robert Peston says that AstraZeneca disputes the claim on pricing and says that its contracts for these new vaccines are based on the concept of 'best efforts' not concrete promises of exact delivery.
Peston also says in one Tweet:
"A pro-EU source at the company says "I understand Brexit better now"."
And now we hear that the French are so exercised over the UK regaining control of its fishing grounds that it wants to disconnect our electricity supply.
Well, at least the plan appears to put pressure on the France to Jersey electricity interconnectors.
The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, told French broadcaster France 3 Bretagne that if the UK refused to change the Brexit trade deal to allow French boats continued access to UK waters after 2026, then France would say:
"If you bother us on fishing, we'll bother you on energy."
Special arrangements were already secured for Northern Ireland before the UK-EU trade deal was agreed (Image: Getty)
From Friday, New Year's Day 2021, people in Northern Ireland will begin to see changes to everyday life as a result of Brexit.
The UK voted to leave the European Union in a referendum in June 2016, but the practical out-workings of that decision are only just beginning.
While Brexit technically happened 11 months ago, the UK has been in a standstill transition period during which negotiations were held on a future trading relationship.
This post-Brexit trade deal was finally agreed on Christmas Eve, running to more than 1,200 pages.
While the deal still has to be voted for in the House of Commons, it is expected to comfortably pass due to the Conservative Party's majority and support from Labour.
Special arrangements were already secured for Northern Ireland as a result of 2019's Withdrawal Agreement which formally removed the UK from the European trading bloc.
It included the Northern Ireland Protocol, aimed at preventing a hard land border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
The arrangement involves keeping Northern Ireland in the EU's single market for goods and applying EU customs rules at its ports - meaning additional checks for goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.
Here is a rundown of the changes people in Northern Ireland can expect from January 1.
What will happen to my regular grocery shop?
Stock image(Image: Getty Images)
The trade deal means no extra charges (tariffs) on goods or limits on the amount that can be traded (quotas) between the UK and EU.
Supermarkets will be given a "grace period" of several months to avoid any disruption to food supplies transported from Britain to Northern Ireland after January 1.
Tesco chairman John Allan has said any changes to food prices after Brexit will likely be "very modest indeed" and any differences to "intra-Ireland" trade will be "marginal".
Is travel to the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and mainland Europe affected?
Citizens of the UK and Ireland can still move freely to live, work and study within the two jurisdictions due to their longstanding Common Travel Area arrangement predating EU membership.
People in Northern Ireland can also use their rights under the Good Friday Agreement to retain freedom of movement in the EU, as the Agreement allows people from Northern Ireland to be British, Irish or both.
Irish passport holders in Northern Ireland can continue to move and reside freely within the EU.
But British passport holders in Northern Ireland lose free movement entitlements to mainland EU. They are being advised to ensure their passports have at least six months' validity and were issued less than 10 years ago, and they will need a visa for stays in mainland EU of longer than 90 days in every 180-day period.
UK passport holders will also no longer be able to use the EU passport queue at borders and airports.
What about travel from Great Britain to Northern Ireland?
While nothing changes for NI to GB travel, there will be differences in the opposite direction.
This is because while Britain is leaving the EU customs union and single market, Northern Ireland will continue to follow many of these rules.
This will include food products - such as meat, fish and eggs - arriving from Britain into Northern Ireland facing checks at ports to ensure they comply with EU standards.
Giving a simple example of the implications for travellers going from GB to NI, travel writer Simon Calder told the BBC: "You won't be able to bring any ham or cheese sandwiches because they are meat and dairy."
Is my driving licence valid for driving while travelling in the EU?
A driving licence from Northern Ireland will continue to be valid for driving in the EU, including the Republic of Ireland.
Drivers from Northern Ireland travelling across the border will not need an International Driving Permit (IDP). However, motorists who only have a paper licence will need an IDP in some EU countries.
A green card from your insurer will be needed for driving in the Republic and mainland Europe, according to the Irish government website.
Residents in the Republic who hold a UK or Northern Ireland driving licence will need to contact the National Driver Licence Service to exchange their licence as it will not be valid from January 1.
The UK government has advised that arrangements for EU licence holders visiting or living in the UK will not change.
What happens to EU pet passports?
Stock image(Image: Getty Images)
There will be no changes to the current rules for Northern Ireland pet owners travelling to the Republic or the rest of the EU.
Current EU pet passports will no longer be valid from January 1, but pet owners in Northern Ireland can contact their vet to update their pet passport to allow for continued travel.
However, there will be changes for travel with pets from Britain into Northern Ireland or the EU.
Owners of dogs, cats or ferrets must ensure measures are taken including having their pets are microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.
Is using my mobile phone abroad going to cost more?
At least for now, it should not become more expensive.
The UK's four main providers - O2, EE, Vodafone and Three - say they have no plans to reintroduce roaming charges, but they would be free to do so in future.
The British government has set a cap of £45 (€50) in any billing period in a bid to protect against excessive fees.
Will European health insurance cards still work?
European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) cards, which allow state-provided emergency medical care in Europe, will remain valid until they expire.
The UK government has said it will be replaced by its own UK Global Health Insurance Card, the details of which have yet to be finalised.
Either way, the Irish government has committed to funding the EHIC scheme for people in Northern Ireland.
Can I study in mainland Europe?
While students at universities in Britain will no longer be able to take part in the Erasmus exchange programme, in Northern Ireland students will still be eligible due to an Irish government funding pledge worth an estimated €2.1m per year.
Erasmus allows students to study or undertake a work placement in another EU member state while having their fees covered.
Does duty-free shopping make a return?
Stock image(Image: Getty Images)
Duty-free sales return for passengers travelling between Ireland and Britain, but it will not apply for travel between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
According to the UK government website, travellers returning from the EU will have a new duty-free allowance of 200 cigarettes; nine litres of sparkling wine or four litres of spirits; 18 litres of still wine; and 42 litres of beer.
Can businesses in Northern Ireland still trade with the Republic, Britain and mainland Europe?
Britain is no longer be part of the EU's Single Market and Customs Union, but Northern Ireland will retain some ties to the EU.
The Northern Ireland Protocol means the region remains in the EU's single market for goods and applies EU customs rules at its ports.
This means no new checks or controls for north-south trade on the island of Ireland.
However, goods arriving from Britain will face some checks and controls at Northern Ireland's ports from January 1 .
How is the fisheries trade affected in Northern Ireland?
Fishing rights was a key sticking point in negotiations on a UK-EU trade deal.
The UK will have control over its fishing grounds, but EU boats will be able to fish in UK waters for some years to come at least.
Some 25% of the value of EU boats' current catch will be made available for UK fishing boats over a five-and-a-half-year phasing-in period.
After that, the UK and EU will regularly negotiate on access to each other's waters, which would include Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Assembly has rejected the UK government's post- Brexit trade deal with the European Union.
The vote will not affect the end of the transition period later this week, but Stormont speaker Alex Maskey will convey the Assembly's view to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
MLAs held the debate as an overwhelming majority of MPs at Westminster backed a bill bringing the trade deal into UK law.
The European Union (Future Relationship) Bill was passed by 521 to 73 votes in the House of Commons.
All of Northern Ireland's MPs who take their seats at Westminster voted against the trade deal.
In Belfast, MLAs voted by 47 to 38 in favour of an SDLP -amended motion rejecting Brexit and withholding consent for the legislation.
The Assembly was recalled early from recess by the first and deputy first ministers to debate the tariff-free trade deal announced on Christmas Eve.
There was criticism of the deal from each of the parties represented in the Assembly.
First Minister Arlene Foster moved the original motion, which was simply that the Assembly would note the UK-EU trade deal.
The DUP leader said: "A free-trade deal is better than no deal, but for Northern Ireland this deal does not undo the detrimental aspects of the Protocol."
While Britain is leaving the EU customs union and single market, Northern Ireland will continue to follow many of these rules under the Northern Ireland Protocol secured in 2019's Withdrawal Agreement.
The arrangement, which aims to prevent a hard land border with the Irish Republic, will mean additional checks for goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.
The second, proposed by the UUP, called for safeguards to protect trade for at least a year. It fell by 38 votes to 49.
The third, proposed by DUP MLAs, called for the Executive to work with the UK government to "mitigate against those damaging outcomes flowing from the protocol". It fell by 37 votes to 49.
The successful SDLP motion rejected Brexit in line with the EU referendum result in Northern Ireland, called for the implementation of the Protocol, and for the Assembly to "decline legislative consent to the British government to impose the European Union (Future Relationship) Bill, their inferior trade deal and their Brexit against the will of the people of Northern Ireland".
Speaking outside the chamber, SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon said Stormont had set an "important precedent".
"The British government must accept that it does not have the support or the confidence of the people of Northern Ireland for their Brexit," she said.
In the Commons, DUP chief whip Sammy Wilson said the "euphoria" of leaving the EU was "tinged with sadness" because of the Prime Minister's deal.
"Northern Ireland will not enjoy all the benefits of this deal, and indeed we will still find ourselves in many ways tied to some of the restrictions of EU membership," he said.
Mr Wilson denied the deal damages the Union, insisting Northern Ireland will remain in the UK rather than "joining the Irish Republic, a small nation which will bob about in the storms of economic chaos".
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood rejected the Brexit deal, saying that Northern Ireland has "chosen a different path to the one driven by English nationalism".
He told MPs he believes the "United Kingdom is coming to an end" and it brought a responsibility to "conduct the coming conversation with patience, care and compassion".
Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said the Conservative government "owns this deal" and he was not prepared to "acquiesce in a monumental act of self-harm".
However, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis insisted the deal will benefit the region.
He also rejected the suggestion that Brexit could hasten the end of the union between Northern Ireland and Britain.
"I fundamentally disagree with that, I think actually quite the opposite," he told media in a virtual press conference.
He added: "As we leave the transition period, Northern Ireland is going to have this phenomenal benefit of being not just part of the UK customs territory and single market, but also that ability to trade freely with the EU.
"It's going to have a unique position that if it wasn't part of the United Kingdom, it wouldn't have."
First Minister of Northern Ireland Arlene Foster spoke to the BBC's Andrew Marr about the UK's current Brexit situation and Northern Ireland's current border control.
A post-Brexit agreement on trade and other issues has been agreed, just a week before the transition period between the UK and the EU comes to an end.
It avoids the disruption of a no-deal Brexit in the middle of the Covid pandemic, and marks a new era after more than 40 years of UK membership of the European Union.
We've now seen a copy of the text - more than a thousand pages of dense legal text which outline how the relationship will operate in the future. Here are 10 initial questions and answers:
1. Fishing
One of the most difficult issues in the negotiations: how many fish will EU boats be able to catch in UK waters in future, and how long will any transition period last before new measures come into full force? Officials involved in the negotiations say the UK initially wanted an 80% cut in the value of the fish caught by EU boats in UK waters, while the EU initially proposed an 18% cut. Who has given more ground?
Answer: The value of the fish caught by the EU in UK waters will be cut by 25% - which is a lot less than the UK initially asked for. The cut will be phased in over a transition period lasting five and a half years - which is a lot shorter than the EU initially asked for. Once the transition period is over, the UK will fully control access to its waters, and could make much deeper cuts. If it decides to exclude EU fishing boats they can be compensated for their losses, either through tariffs on UK fishing products (or other goods) exported to the EU or by preventing UK boats from fishing in EU waters.
IMAGE COPYRIGHTEPA
image captionFishing was one of the most difficult areas of the negotiations
2. The "level playing field"
What will the rules on fair competition look like, to ensure that businesses on one side don't gain an unfair advantage over their competitors on the other? The definition of what constitutes reasonable levels of state aid, or government subsidies for business, will be important.
Answer: There are level playing field measures which commit both the UK and the EU to maintain common standards on workers rights, as well as many social and environmental regulations. This was a key EU demand. They don't have to be identical in the future, so the UK does not have to follow EU law, but they do have to be seen to protect fair competition.
The UK has also agreed to stick to common principles on how state aid regimes work, and to an independent competition agency which will assess them. But it can choose to develop a system which only makes decisions once evidence of unfair competition is presented. That is different from the EU system which assesses the likely impact of subsidies before they are handed out.
3. Dispute resolution
This will be the subject of years of negotiations to come. How will the deal actually be enforced if either side breaks any of the terms and conditions? If the UK chooses to move away more radically from EU rules in the future, how quickly can the EU respond? Will it have the ability to impose tariffs (or taxes on UK exports) in one area (for example on cars) in response to a breach of the agreement in another (fish, for example)?
Answer: If either side moves away from common standards that exist on 31 December 2020, and if that has a negative impact on the other side, a dispute mechanism can be triggered which could mean tariffs (taxes on goods) being imposed. It is based around a "rebalancing" clause which gives both the EU and the UK the right to take steps if there are significant divergences. This clause is much stricter than measures found in other recent EU trade deals, and was a key demand on the European side. It is a mechanism we may hear a lot more about in the coming years.
The overall policing of the trade agreement also means that tariffs can be targeted at a specific sector as a result of a dispute in another. There will be a binding arbitration system involving officials from both sides. It means that even though this is a tariff-free agreement, the threat that tariffs can be introduced as a result of future disputes will be a constant factor in UK-EU relations.
4. European Court of Justice (ECJ)
The EU's highest court will remain the ultimate arbiter of European law. But the UK government has said the direct jurisdiction of the ECJ in Britain will come to an end. So, will the European court play any role in overseeing the future relationship agreement?
Answer: The EU has dropped its demand that the ECJ should play a direct role in policing the governance of the agreement in future. That was a clear British red line. One place where the ECJ will still play a role is Northern Ireland, which has a special status under the terms of the Brexit withdrawal agreement. It will remain subject to EU single market and customs union rules, which means the European Court will remain the highest legal authority for some disputes in one part of the UK.
5. Travel
IMAGE COPYRIGHTGETTY IMAGES
What will the rules be for British people who want to travel to the EU from 1 January 2021? We already know some of the details but will there be any additional agreements on things like social security or vehicle insurance? And will there be any detail on any arrangement to replace the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)?
Answer: UK nationals will need a visa if they want to stay in the EU more than 90 days in a 180-day period. They will still be able to use their EHICs which will remain valid until they expire. The UK government says they will be replaced by a new UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), but there are no further details yet on how to obtain it.
EU pet passports will no longer be valid, but people will still be able to travel with pets, following a different and a more complicated process.
The two sides agreed to co-operate on international mobile roaming, but there is nothing in the agreement that would stop UK travellers being charged for using their phone in the EU and vice versa. According to the UK government's mission to Brussels, UK citizens will not need an International Driver's Permit to drive in the EU.
6. Financial services
The trade agreement is primarily about the rules for goods crossing borders. It will say far less about the trade in services. Is there going to be a separate statement from the EU which will recognise UK rules governing financial services as roughly "equivalent" to EU rules? That would make it much easier for UK firms which export services to continue doing business in the EU market.
Answer: There is, as expected, not a lot in this agreement for service companies to cheer about. The UK will still be hoping that the EU issues an "equivalence" decision on financial services in the near future, but service companies in general have not got as much help in this deal as the British government had been pushing for. The guaranteed access that UK companies had to the EU single market is over.
7. Data
This is a really important issue. What will the data protection rules be for UK companies that deal with data from the EU? Again, the UK is hoping the EU will issue separately what's known as a data adequacy decision recognising UK rules as equivalent to its own. But the detail will need to be scrutinised carefully.
Answer: Both sides say they want data to flow across borders as smoothly as possible, but the agreement also stresses that individuals have a right to the protection of personal data and privacy and that "high standards in this regard contribute to trust in the digital economy and to the development of trade."
That's why an EU decision to recognise formally that UK data rules are roughly the same as its own is so important - and we're still waiting for that. In the meantime the EU has agreed to a "specified period" of four months, extendable by a further two months, in which data can be exchanged in the same way it is now, as long as the UK makes no changes to its rules on data protection.
8. Product standards
We know there will be more bureaucracy and delays at borders in the future, for companies trading between the UK and the EU. But will the two sides agree any measures to make things a little easier? There's something called "mutual recognition of conformity assessment" which would mean checks on products standards would not need to be nearly as intrusive as they otherwise might be.
Answer: There's no agreement on conformity assessment even though the UK government had hoped there would be. It's just one reminder of how many new barriers to trade there are going to be. In future, if you want to sell your product in both the UK and the EU, you may have to get it checked twice to get it certified.
On other border issues, there is also no agreement on recognising each other's sanitary and safety standards for exporting food of animal origin, which means there will have to be pretty intrusive and costly checks for products going into the EU single market.
There will however be some measures which cut technical barriers to trade, and the mutual recognition of trusted trader schemes which will make it easier for large companies to operate across borders.
9. Professional qualifications
A lot of people, from accountants to chefs, work in different EU countries and didn't have to worry about crossing borders multiple times while the UK was part of the EU. But will UK professional qualifications be recognised across the EU in the future, and what restrictions will there be?
Answer: The short answer is no - they won't be recognised automatically. That will make it harder for UK citizens supplying any kind of service to work in the EU. They will often have to apply to individual countries to try to get their qualifications accepted, with no guarantee of success. There is a framework in the deal for the UK and EU to agree on mutually recognising individual qualifications but that's weaker than what professionals have now.
10. Security
It's not just about trade. The UK will lose automatic and immediate access to a variety of EU databases which the police use every day - covering things such as criminal records, fingerprints and wanted persons. So what kind of access will they have, and how will security co-operation work in the future?
Answer: The UK loses access to some very key databases but will have continued access to others, including the system which cross-checks fingerprints across the continent. But overall, security cooperation will no longer be based on "real time" access. And in some cases, such as access to data on which flights people take, that data will only be made available under much stricter conditions.
An agreement has been reached on extradition, and the UK's role in Europol, the cross-border security agency, allows it to sit in on meetings but not have a direct say in decisions. Both of these are positive, and on a par with the best other countries have achieved.
Disagreements over data will be dealt with by a new committee, not by the European Court of Justice - again, a red line for the UK. But taken together, the speed with which the UK gets important data, and the influence it has on decisions, has been reduced.
There are many other questions to answer - this agreement will form the basis for UK-EU relations for years if not decades to come. And the two sides will have to continue to talk about how to implement it most effectively.
The team will continue to read through the text of the agreement and will add more to this story if necessary.
