EU makes U-turn on activating emergency Brexit clause with export controls nationalaccordnewspaper.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalaccordnewspaper.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Coronavirus: EU introduces tighter rules on vaccine exports
A new mechanism would allow countries to halt exports of coronavirus vaccines that the EU says belong to its citizens. The World Health Organization has criticized the move.
The EU said the rules were necessary to ensure pharmaceutical companies fulfill their obligations
The European Commission launched a new mechanism on Friday to monitor and in some cases block coronavirus vaccine exports out of the bloc.
The move comes amid a row with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca over vaccine deliveries.
The EU has voiced concerns that vaccine doses could be sent abroad before companies fulfill their obligations in the bloc.
LONDON/BRUSSELS (REUTERS) - The European Union on Friday (Jan 29) abruptly reversed a plan to use emergency Brexit measures to restrict exports of Covid-19 vaccines from crossing the Irish border into the United Kingdom after it sent shockwaves through Northern Ireland, London and Dublin.
In a steep escalation of the EU’s fight to secure vaccine supplies, Brussels had said it would trigger clauses in the Northern Irish Protocol to prevent the vaccines from moving across the open border between EU-member Ireland and the British-run province.
Following an outcry in London, Belfast and Dublin, the EU published a statement just before midnight saying it would ensure that the Northern Ireland Protocol, designed to keep the border open, would not be affected.
Mr Gove said the UK would now be carefully considering its next steps. The UK Government is urgently seeking an explanation from the European Commission about the statements issued by the EU today and assurances as to its intentions. 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 fulfilment of these contracts. The UK Government has reiterated the importance of preserving the benefits of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement and the commitments that have been made to the two communities.
Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster branded the EU move an incredible act of hostility and called for a robust response from the UK Government.