The European Commission's decision to prevent coronavirus vaccine from crossing the border into Northern Ireland was baffling, First Minister Arlene Foster has said.
The DUP has announced a co-ordinated bid to undermine the Northern Ireland Protocol in Belfast and London.
The party has hit out at the EU s actions regarding triggering Article 16 of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and warned that the party s members will not continue to act as if North-South relationships are normal.
It comes after the EU tried to invoke Article 16 - which allows either side to unilaterally suspend operations of the Northern Ireland Protocol if it is causing major problems - to control the export of Covid vaccines into NI. The EU later performed a U-turn on the issue.
The NI Protocol was designed to avoid the implementation of a hard border on the island of Ireland by having Northern Ireland continue to follow EU trade rules, thus creating a de-facto border down the Irish Sea, something which has angered unionists.
EU not triggering Article 16, NI protocol will be unaffected
President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said she spoke with the Taoiseach to agree on a satisfactory way to introduce an export authorisation mechanism for Covid vaccines.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin is peaking to European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen about the decision to override part of the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol this evening. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins
Fri, 29 Jan, 2021 - 23:37
Michelle McGlynn, Daniel McConnell and PA
The EU has said it is “not triggering the safeguard clause” to ensure the Northern Ireland Protocol is “unaffected” after widespread condemnation following its actions to place export controls on coronavirus vaccines.
The EU has moved to prevent Northern Ireland from being used as a back door to funnel coronavirus vaccine from the bloc into the rest of the UK.
Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster branded the EU’s triggering of Article 16 of Brexit’s Northern Ireland Protocol to stop unfettered flow of inoculations from the EU into the region an “incredible act of hostility”.
Ms Foster spoke with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove about the issue on Friday evening, and called for a “robust response” from the UK Government.
The Irish premier Micheal Martin is in discussions with European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen to express his concerns, according to an Irish government spokesperson.