Taoiseach still has faith in the Commission despite the Article 16 move, but says ‘mistakes were made’

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Updated 27 minutes ago

TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said that he still has confidence in the president of the European Commission despite the dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol, but that “mistakes were made.”

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s This Week, Martin said that Ireland, the EU and the UK have agreed to work together on the Protocol to address the “initial issues” that arose after the Commission acted to activate a clause that would prevent a possible flow. of vaccines. to Northern Ireland from the EU.

After invoking Article 16 to stop the unhindered flow of vaccines from the European bloc to Northern Ireland, the EU backed down, condemning Dublin, London and Belfast.

It is understood that a compromise will cause the vaccine crossing between the Republic and Northern Ireland to be registered in Dublin, but will not risk being blocked.

Despite the discord, Martin said he still has faith in the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

“I had a very good personal commitment to the president of the Commission, but mistakes were made here,” he said.

“We have indicated that there must be commitment on all fronts to address these problems in terms of the proper functioning of the protocol.”

Martin said he does not foresee a survey of a united Ireland in the next five years.

“Brexit has created its own consequences and impact in terms of what may happen in Scotland, and my own opinion was very anxious to avoid confusing Brexit with the island of Ireland issue in terms of unity,” he said.

He said the idea of ​​an immediate border survey is “too divisive.”

“Right now I think the most important aspect is to harness the potential of the Good Friday Agreement and, in this context, such a survey was always intended to be the end of a process of building full reconciliation and understanding. , and I don’t think we have sufficiently optimized the potential of the deal. “

Speaking to the BBC today, the Taoiseach has said that it did not receive prior notice of the EU’s intention to activate Article 16 of the Brexit Protocol.

Martin said he first heard about the measure in a public statement and quickly began negotiations with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

Martin told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show: “I had a series of conversations with President von der Leyen and after that I also spoke, of course, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and we discussed the implications of all. “

Northern Ireland Prime Minister Arlene Foster has described the EU move as an “act of hostility” and has urged Johnson to replace the “impractical” protocol.

Martin disagreed with that assessment, instead describing it as a dispute between the EU and AstraZeneca.

He stressed that it took four years to negotiate the protocol to facilitate the access of the Northern Ireland economy to the single market, as well as the UK market, and to avoid a rigid border on the island of Ireland.

The Taoiseach said: “It’s a good thing, the protocol, in general. There are issues that we need to refine and resolve, but essentially I believe that there are medium-term positive aspects for Northern Ireland in terms of its economic development that we should not underestimate.

“We are only four weeks away from the implementation of the protocol, surely there will be initial problems, but I recognize the need for a commitment here from all parties, between the European Union, the United Kingdom and the Irish Government, and the Executive North of Ireland” .

Meanwhile, Martin said there is a “strong feeling across Europe” that AstraZeneca has failed to meet its commitments around vaccination.

“There is a very fair point that cannot be set aside, the problem is that the commission took the wrong mechanism when invoking article 16 of the protocol to deal with it,” he said.

“What has gone wrong is clearly that the commitments made in terms of volume levels are not being met in terms of the contractual commitment between the commission and AstraZeneca.

“The same kind of tensions do not seem to have arisen in relation to the other companies.”

Martin also called for calm regarding the vaccine launch.

Reopening

Discussions about the launch of vaccines in Ireland have gone hand in hand with questions about when Ireland will begin to reopen, particularly around the return of schools.

Martin told RTÉ that there is no defined timetable for the return of schools, but that the plan is to have a gradual return to school starting at the elementary level, with priority on returning from special education.

An announcement about the exit certificate could come this week, Martin said, but the most important thing was to make sure “I’s are dotted and T’s crossed” before confirming a decision.

Martin said he understood the need to bring “clarity” to “reduce anxiety and reduce stress for students and their families.”

He said he does not foresee a major reopening of the company on March 5, with a “conservative and cautious” approach to be adopted in the face of any easing of restrictions.

Certain sectors, such as education and construction, would be prioritized, while hospitality would wait more.

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Global demand

The Irish Pharmaceutical Health Association (IPHA) has welcomed the Taoiseach’s comments on vaccines.

“We all want a way out of the pandemic. We want a route back to normality, or at least some version of it.

“There are more than 50 Covid-19 vaccine candidates in clinical trials. So far, the European Medicines Agency has approved three safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines, and sooner they need to be evaluated, ”said an IPHA spokesperson.

They added that manufacturing sites “should not face restrictions.”

“The establishment by the European Commission of an export authorization system for Covid-19 vaccines could jeopardize their supply to people in Europe and around the world.

“The introduction of export barriers could severely limit the ability of manufacturers to meet global demand.

“Vaccine manufacturers are increasing production at an unprecedented rate. Sometimes things can go wrong. Fluctuations in dose delivery, while frustrating, can be a feature of complex biologics manufacturing. But companies are working as fast as they can to protect everyone, “said a statement.

With reporting by Órla Ryan and Lauren Boland



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