[ad_1]
In Brussels, Irish officials remain shocked by surprise at the European Commission’s inclusion of the controversial Article 16 in a regulation, in a decision that was frantically reversed after urgent calls from Dublin.
In a post-Brexit environment where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson presents a rapid vaccine launch as an advantage of having left the bloc, it doesn’t help that the matter seems to live up to the worst stereotypes in the EU.
“This is a great gift for Brexit supporters,” lamented an Irish observer. “They all say things like: I have never been so proud to have voted for Brexit … Ireland is treated like a colony … of course they are going to run and run with this.”
The matter, where officials had enough technical knowledge about Northern Ireland to identify it as a potential loophole for vaccine controls and to cite the protocol clause to fix it, but not enough political awareness to realize the implications, it is considered an essential question. Commission error.
Although it was hastily retracted, the fact remains that the previously taboo article was put on the table on Friday, giving a permanent blessing to opponents of the Protocol in Northern Ireland who had been calling for its use as a way to circumvent the controls of the Sea of Ireland. Evoking it just weeks after the new arrangements took the ground out of those who had been insisting that it could hardly ever be used.
Refuse permissions
And the principle, which would have allowed EU capitals to refuse permits for the export of vaccines to Northern Ireland, if only if they believed they were actually destined for Britain, undermines the EU’s authority as an open border advocate after years in which he insisted that any barrier of goods between the Republic and the North was unthinkable.
It has also unleashed a wave of pent-up frustration on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of the EU institutions, which was not helped by a perceived attempt to blame the mistake on the team of her commercial boss, Valdis Dombrovskis.
The impetus for introducing vaccine export controls is seen as coming from Germany: a ripple effect of turbulent domestic politics as rivals compete to be Chancellor Angela Merkel’s successor.
Von der Leyen, a two-time cabinet minister to Merkel’s governments, often seems to have an eye on Berlin.
It maintains a tight, German-flavored inner circle that is often the subject of complaints from Commission officials, who say the gang can be parsimonious in sharing information and may exclude relevant experts in their enthusiasm for favored policy.
Gently dodged
The usual anger of the Brussels press corps was on the air again when Dr. Von der Leyen gave her first interview after the mistake made with the German station ZDF. Instead of answering questions publicly at any time, he opted for closed-door meetings with MEPs, after which some complained that the president had avoided answering their questions with clichés.
The insistence on control and frequent reliance on rigid pre-recorded videos is counterproductive, because behind the scenes von der Leyen is a refined and personable speaker.
Irish figures have called for clarity on what caused the error and procedural changes to ensure that the phones of the right people will ring in the future. And the unhappiness of MEPs could spell trouble to come.
Dr. von der Leyen was approved as president by a margin of just nine votes. This reflected unhappiness over the circumstances of his appointment: by custom, the leading candidate from the largest political group is scheduled for office.
But in 2019, the unconvincing Manfred Weber of the European People’s Party was discarded by the leaders of national governments, who in a backroom mischief brawl presented Dr. von der Leyen as an alternative. At that time, he left Germany under a kind of cloud due to the scandals during his tenure at the Defense Ministry. The past week has also tarnished his reputation in Brussels.
[ad_2]