Deal or no Deal

[Kuya John]

Well here we are less than one month into the UK- EU trade agreements.

A situation concerning the supply of Vaccines at the North/ South border in Ireland was narrowly avoided.

EU vaccine export row: Bloc backtracks on controls for NI - BBC News

 

 

[Terry P]

19 minutes ago, Kuya John said:

Well here we are less than one month into the UK- EU trade agreements.

A situation concerning the supply of Vaccines at the North/ South border in Ireland was narrowly avoided.

EU vaccine export row: Bloc backtracks on controls for NI - BBC News

 

 

You couldn't write the fiasco of the EUs handling of their Vaccine programme. First of all they criticise the UK for rushing approval in their opinion then want the Pfizer Vaccine full quota immediately when they approve it regardless of manufacturing restrictions.

Then they demand their quota of AZ Vaccine even though they hadn't even approved it and the German media and politicians are discrediting it.

Then they approve it and demand their full quota again. When it becomes clear they are not getting what they want they throw the toys out of the pram and threaten to close borders with the UK.

If there was ever an example of Vaccine nationalism this is it.

Or is it a case of woops we've screwed up how do we get out of this one

[scott h]

8 hours ago, TerryP said:

woops we've screwed up how do we get out of this one

Being a bit of an anglophile, GB faced off with the continent in 1805, 1940 and 2016. So IMHO tell the EU to...............................................

 

[Terry P]

34 minutes ago, scott h said:

Being a bit of an anglophile, GB faced off with the continent in 1805, 1940 and 2016. So IMHO tell the EU to...............................................

 

Access the BBC's site Scott there is a summary by Katya Adler BBC's Europe correspondent worthwhile posting I'd do it myself but I'm a tech dinosaur

[sonjack2847]

Well they have backed down now.

rsula von der Leyen was sitting in her converted flat next to her office in the EU's palatial HQ in Berlaymont when the phone started ringing.

It was Friday evening, around 9.20pm, and on the line was the British Prime Minister.

Boris Johnson was demanding to know why the EU had invoked Article 19 of the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, effectively blocking imports of Covid vaccines through the Irish Republic to the UK.

At 9.50pm - about half an hour after the call had concluded - Number 10 issued a damning account of that call, saying that the PM "expressed his grave concerns about the potential impact which the steps the EU has taken today on vaccine exports could have".

An hour after their call - around 10.30pm London time - Mrs Von der Leyen called back making clear to Mr Johnson that the EU would not disrupt vaccine supplies into the UK.

Number 10 stressed there were no raised voices on the calls, but it was a torrid end to what had been a dreadful few days for the EU - days had seen the Commission accused of trying to bully the UK and drugs companies into giving up Britain’s share of precious vaccines.

Mr Johnson and his team in London had caught wind of the Commission's plans earlier last week, but chose to adopt a low key approach, arranging for a call between Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, and his counterpart in Brussels on Wednesday.

By Friday morning the talks had "gone up a notch" and the emerging crisis was discussed at the Prime Minister's 8.30am meeting in Number 10.

Although officials had been gaming what the Commission might do and how the UK would respond the response from the Commission to invoke Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol still came as a shock.

Following a meeting between Mr Johnson and his senior officials Number 10 made public the concerns in London, saying they did not expect the EU - a “friend and ally” - would do “anything to disrupt the fulfilment of these contracts."

Mr Johnson decided to call Micheal Martin, the Irish Prime Minister, to discuss the Commission's actions. Again concerns about peace in Northern Ireland were raised and the PM stressed the UK’s enduring commitment to the Belfast/Good Friday agreement.

Mr Johnson then phoned Mrs von der Leyen.

By now the warnings about threats to the Good Friday Agreement had been heard in Washington DC, where sources said the White House was urgently trying to clarify what the move would mean.

In the face of such raw anger and growing international concern, Brussels backed down.

Just before midnight UK time on Friday Ms Von der Leyen posted a message on Twitter saying she agreed with Mr Johnson not to add restrictions to vaccine exports.

It was a week that began very differently. Brussels had been determined to force AstraZeneca to its knees. It ended, however, with the European Union humiliated.

Mrs von der Leyen was facing calls to resign on Saturday, and fierce criticism in her home country of Germany.

It was after all the Commission President who, having taken personal charge of the AstraZeneca issue, and was now seen to have badly botched the response to the pharmaceutical company’s failure to fulfil EU orders of jabs.

By moving to impose a “vaccine border” on the island of Ireland she was seen as having trashed the bloc’s reputation worldwide and sacrificed the moral high ground the Commission had taken over the Irish border during the Brexit negotiations.

Her decision to trigger Article 16 of the Brexit treaty’s Northern Irish protocol, achieved the once unimaginable feat of uniting an unimpressed Michel Barnier, Irish prime minister Micheál Martin and Boris Johnson against her.

Mrs von der Leyen may have ordered a U-turn late on Friday and blamed the crisis on “an oversight”, but the damage was done. This was written on Saturday by James Crisp of the Telegraph