cancel2 2022
Canceled
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I do have to laugh at how people were saying that the UK was endangering the Good Friday Agreement and potentially breaking international law. Yet here is a clear case of the EU attempting to put up a hard border!
Ireland's prime minister lashed out at the European Union today over its vaccines threat to Northern Ireland, admitting he was one of those 'blindsided' by the announcement.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he had been given no advance notice of the intention by the EU to trigger Article 16 of the Brexit Protocol on Friday.
He told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme that the first he was aware of it was a public announcement by the bloc on Friday night.
After invoking Article 16 to stop the unimpeded flow of vaccines from the European bloc into Northern Ireland, the EU later backtracked, following condemnation from London, Dublin and Belfast.
It is understood that a compromise will see vaccines crossing between the Republic and Northern Ireland being recorded in Dublin, but will not be at risk of being blocked.
Any move to prevent vaccines entering Ulster via the republic would effectively create a hard border that could have had serious ramifications for political stability.
The Taoiseach said he articulated the 'very serious implications' the move would have and engagement began between his office and the office of president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
'I had a number of conversations with President von der Leyen and, in the aftermath of those, I also spoke, of course, to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and we discussed the implications of all of this, and the importance of getting a resolution by the close of that evening, Friday evening, and thankfully the commission did issue a statement pulling back and reversing its decision.'
Mr Martin also criticised French president Emmanuel Macron for suggesting - contrary to all available evidence - that the AZ jab did not work for those aged over 65.
''I don't think politicians should pronounce on the efficacy or otherwise of vaccines,' the Irish leader said.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he had been given no advance notice of the intention by the EU to trigger Article 16 of the Brexit Protocol on Friday
Boris Johnson handed the EU a stark warning that a vaccines blockade of Northern Ireland could kill British pensioners in 'spicy' late-night phone calls with Ursula von der Leyen.
The Prime Minister told the European Commission president that plans to stop 3.5 million doses from the Pfizer factory in Belgium the UK risked preventing people from receiving the second injection, forcing it into a hurried climbdown.
While a single vaccination gives some protection from coronavirus, both are needed to achieve the maximum impact and Mr Johnson told Ms von der Leyen the EU's hardline plan could lead to the deaths of the most vulnerable, including elderly grandparents.
During two phone calls just 30 minutes apart, the Prime Minister made Ms von der Leyen abandon the 'nuclear option' of imposing a hard border on Northern Ireland to prevent vaccines reaching the UK.
She immediately capitulated in a tweet sent out shortly before midnight on Friday.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...indsided-including-vaccine-border-threat.html
I do have to laugh at how people were saying that the UK was endangering the Good Friday Agreement and potentially breaking international law. Yet here is a clear case of the EU attempting to put up a hard border!
Ireland's prime minister lashed out at the European Union today over its vaccines threat to Northern Ireland, admitting he was one of those 'blindsided' by the announcement.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he had been given no advance notice of the intention by the EU to trigger Article 16 of the Brexit Protocol on Friday.
He told the BBC's Andrew Marr programme that the first he was aware of it was a public announcement by the bloc on Friday night.
After invoking Article 16 to stop the unimpeded flow of vaccines from the European bloc into Northern Ireland, the EU later backtracked, following condemnation from London, Dublin and Belfast.
It is understood that a compromise will see vaccines crossing between the Republic and Northern Ireland being recorded in Dublin, but will not be at risk of being blocked.
Any move to prevent vaccines entering Ulster via the republic would effectively create a hard border that could have had serious ramifications for political stability.
The Taoiseach said he articulated the 'very serious implications' the move would have and engagement began between his office and the office of president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
'I had a number of conversations with President von der Leyen and, in the aftermath of those, I also spoke, of course, to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and we discussed the implications of all of this, and the importance of getting a resolution by the close of that evening, Friday evening, and thankfully the commission did issue a statement pulling back and reversing its decision.'
Mr Martin also criticised French president Emmanuel Macron for suggesting - contrary to all available evidence - that the AZ jab did not work for those aged over 65.
''I don't think politicians should pronounce on the efficacy or otherwise of vaccines,' the Irish leader said.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said he had been given no advance notice of the intention by the EU to trigger Article 16 of the Brexit Protocol on Friday
Boris Johnson handed the EU a stark warning that a vaccines blockade of Northern Ireland could kill British pensioners in 'spicy' late-night phone calls with Ursula von der Leyen.
The Prime Minister told the European Commission president that plans to stop 3.5 million doses from the Pfizer factory in Belgium the UK risked preventing people from receiving the second injection, forcing it into a hurried climbdown.
While a single vaccination gives some protection from coronavirus, both are needed to achieve the maximum impact and Mr Johnson told Ms von der Leyen the EU's hardline plan could lead to the deaths of the most vulnerable, including elderly grandparents.
During two phone calls just 30 minutes apart, the Prime Minister made Ms von der Leyen abandon the 'nuclear option' of imposing a hard border on Northern Ireland to prevent vaccines reaching the UK.
She immediately capitulated in a tweet sent out shortly before midnight on Friday.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...indsided-including-vaccine-border-threat.html
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