Johnson accused the European Union of undermining the election agreement
As tensions in the Old Continent escalated over the distribution of the Corona vaccine, the British Prime Minister accused the European Union of “undermining” the Northern Ireland Protocol under the Bargaining Agreement and called for “immediate action” to resolve the issue.
As tensions in the Old Continent escalated over the distribution of the Corona vaccine, the British Prime Minister accused the European Union of “undermining” the Northern Ireland Protocol under the Bargaining Agreement and called for “immediate action” to resolve the issue.
“It is unfortunate that the European Union has called into question the Good Friday Agreement by calling for the closure of the Irish border,” Boris Johnson told the House of Commons.
Noting the importance of the peace process between the two Ireland, he added that London ensures that the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is not closed.
The European Union (EU) has restricted vaccine exports after failing to agree on a timeline for the delivery of the corona vaccine to the pharmaceutical company Astraznica, and has decided to block the border crossing between Northern and Southern Ireland to prevent Northern Ireland from becoming. Activate a “back door” for British access to the EU market. With the activation of this article, known as Article 16, the European Union can temporarily establish customs inspections on the border between Ireland.
The decision was met with widespread protests and condemnation from Britain, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and even the World Health Organization, leading to the withdrawal of the European Union.
Union officials say the Anglo-Swedish company Astraznika must abide by its contract with the union and deliver the 300 million vaccines pre-purchased in August. But Astraznika, which faces production restrictions, says it must reduce the 100 million doses sold to the UK to deliver European orders, which is against the company’s contract with Britain, and London will not go under.
These developments have led to a shortage of vaccine stockpiles in Europe, disrupted vaccination plans and put pressure on EU officials.
Yesterday, Michael Gove, the British Deputy Prime Minister, stated that the European Union has destroyed Britain’s trust by using Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol. He also wrote a letter to the European Commission Vice-President calling for respect for the protocol, stressing that trade between Ireland should not be subject to political tensions.
Johnson also spoke by telephone today with Northern Ireland Prime Minister Arlene Foster, stressing that she would use all available resources to prevent the closure of the Irish border.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, which had formed an alliance with the former British government (Theresa May), called on Johnson to ensure trade between Northern Ireland and Britain and the Schengen area by revising the Northern Ireland Protocol. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Cavoni also said that the Northern Ireland Protocol had serious problems and needed to be revised.
Northern Ireland was the main point of contention between Britain and the European Union during the Brexit negotiations. After months of negotiations on the future of the region, the two sides agreed; But analysts say its effectiveness is unclear.
Northern Ireland has been in a special situation since Britain officially left the European Union. The region remains on the one hand in the political territory of the United Kingdom and on the other hand in the Customs Union and the Common Market of the European Union.
Now the European Commission’s decision to activate Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol shows the depth of deep-seated differences and misunderstandings between the two sides, which have not been resolved thanks to the 1,200-page agreement.