Much has been made of the EU's failure to secure enough coronavirus vaccine for its member states, it's impact on the Republic of Ireland and potential knock-on effect for Northern Ireland.
As the UK went ahead with securing orders and approving its first vaccine for use in December, the EU adopted a more cautious approach.
Failure to secure an adequate supply has left the bloc engaging in public disputes, including blocking shipments of the vaccine from Italy to Australia and considering triggering Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol in an attempt to stop vaccines leaving the EU to non-member states.