EC President claims responsibility for Irish-UK vaccine export ban

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has claimed full responsibility for the vaccine export ban that would have muddied the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and overrode the Brexit deal with the UK.

The export ban would have prevented shipping of vaccines to the UK through Northern Ireland and has become a hot issue over worries it could violate the Good Friday Agreement before it was revoked.

Read more: Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine approved for EU rollout

Concerns have been raised by various political groups within Parliament, who met with the President on Tuesday, about the handling of vaccine distribution in the bloc.

The Commission is currently investigating areas for improvement and focal points for the ramp-up of vaccine production.

Eight vaccines are currently in the EU's system and three - Moderna, AstraZeneca and Pfizer - have been approved for rollout.

In an address on Tuesday, President von der Leyen urged companies to cooperate in order to maximise efficiency in terms of vaccine rollout.

She acknowledges missteps by the Commission but added the EU is working to be transparent, with all information regarding vaccine purchase agreements being made public.

The relationship between the UK and EU has been soured over vaccine supply, and AstraZeneca has faced criticism over their inability to meet the deadlines set by the EU for the distribution of the 300 million doses the two parties agreed upon.

The EU claim the pharmaceutical company have not adequately explained the shortfalls that will leave the EU tens of millions of jab doses short through March.

AstraZeneca claims their failure to deliver on deadlines was due to supply chain disruptions brought on by the pandemic but did not specify.

Read more: EU and AstraZeneca clash over vaccine supply transparency

The two parties entered into talks which were described by the EC's health commissioner, Stella Kyriakides, as "constructive."

Reports from von der Leyen's meeting with these political groups claim she expressed regret for infringing on the Brexit deal, with one source quoting her as saying, "We should have avoided having the discussions we had on even thinking about triggering Article 16."

While the person who implemented the amendment into the vaccine export ban was never identified, several MEPs report the President took full responsibility for the incident.

Read more: France urges Germany to ditch Nord Stream 2 over Navalny arrest

Several MEPs revealed to Politico they were satisfied with explanations for the issues.

Katalin Cseh, a Hungarian member of the Renew Europe group, said: “I dearly hope we will see her next week in plenary, and we will be able to have a public debate on this extremely crucial issue, the main concern of our citizens all over the Union."

Irish member Seán Kelly said: "She said she took full responsibility for it" and added he was "very pleased that she was upfront & answered all questions in sequence, including 'tricky ones.'"

Back to Homepage

Back to Politics & Economics