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LAST UPDATE | 31 Jan 2021
TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said 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 “teething issues” that arose after the Commission moved to trigger a clause that would prevent a potential flow of vaccines into Northern Ireland from the EU.
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 Dublin, London 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.
Despite the discord, Martin said he still has faith in EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“I’ve had a very good personal engagement with the president of the Commission but mistakes were made here,” he said.
“We’ve made the point that there needs to be engagement on all fronts to dealing with those issues in terms of the smooth operation of the protocol.”
Martin also said that he does not foresee a poll on 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 view I was very anxious to avoid conflating Brexit with the island of Ireland issue in terms of unity,” he said.
He added that the idea of an immediate border poll is “too divisive”.
“Right now I think more the important aspect is to fulfill the potential of the Good Friday Agreement, and in that context, a poll of that kind was always meant to be the end of a process of building up full reconciliation and understanding, and I don’t think we’ve optimized the potential of the agreement enough.”
Speaking to the BBC earlier today, the Taoiseach has said he was given no advance notice of the intention by the EU to trigger Article 16 of the Brexit protocol.
Martin said he first heard about the move in a public statement, and quickly started negotiations with von der Leyen.
Martin told the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show: “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.”
On the EU-AstraZeneca row, Irish PM Micheal Martin says, "the Commission took the wrong mechanism in invoking Article 16 and the Protocol to deal with it"#Marr https://t.co/ctZYEiCih2 pic.twitter.com/iufoibpVdK
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) January 31, 2021
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster described the move by the EU as an “act of hostility” and has urged Johnson to replace the “unworkable” protocol.
Martin disagreed with that assessment, and instead described it as a row between the EU and AstraZeneca.
He stressed that it took four years to negotiate the protocol to facilitate access for Northern Ireland’s economy to the single market as well as to the UK market, and to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
The Taoiseach said: “It’s a good thing, the protocol, overall. There are issues there that we have to fine-tune and work out, but essentially I think there are positives there medium term for Northern Ireland in terms of its economic development which we should not underestimate.
“We are only four weeks into the operation of the protocol, there are bound to be teething problems, but I do acknowledge the need for engagement here on all sides, between the European Union, the United Kingdom and the Irish Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive.”
Meanwhile, Martin said there is a “strong sense across Europe” that AstraZeneca has not delivered on commitments around the vaccination.
“There’s a very fair point there which cannot be brushed aside, the problem is the Commission took the wrong mechanism in 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 realised in terms of the contractual engagement between the Commission and AstraZeneca.
“The same type of tensions do not appear to have arisen in relation to the other companies.”
Martin also called for calm in relation to the rollout of vaccines.
Discussions on the rollout of the vaccines in Ireland has come 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 definite timeline on the return of schools, but that the plan is to have a phased return of school starting at primary level, with priority placed on the return of special education.
An announcement on the Leaving Certificate might come this week, Martin said, but that what was more important was making sure the ‘Is are dotted and Ts are 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 did not foresee major reopening of society on 5 March, with a “conservative and cautious” approach to be taken on any loosening of restrictions.
Certain sectors, such as education and construction, would be prioritised, while hospitality would wait longer, he noted.
The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare 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, with more due for assessment shorty,” an IPHA spokesperson said.
They added that manufacturing sites “should not face restrictions”.
“The establishment by the European Commission of an export authorisation system for Covid-19 vaccines could jeopardise their supply to people in Europe and around the world.
“Introducing export obstructions could severely limit manufacturers’ capacity to meet global demand.
“Vaccine manufacturers are scaling production at unprecedented speed. Sometimes, things can go wrong. Fluctuations in the supply of doses, though frustrating, can be a feature of manufacturing complex biological products. But companies are working as fast as they can to protect everyone,” a statement noted.
With reporting by Órla Ryan and Lauren Boland
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Not a fan of him at all but I do believe him on this one. EU were reckless on starting this one. They showed disregard for Ireland as a whole really
@John kane: There’s pressure on Ursula von der Leyden to resign, EU diplomats are starting to say privately. Taoiseach’s done nothing wrong.
@Mick Tobin: wonder if Mairead McGuinness had prior knowledge? Shes one of the commission.
@JimmyMc: I’d say her ear is firmly to the ground on that
@John kane: the EU do not give a sh#t about smaller countries outside the powerhouses.
@John kane: yes it felt like there was at least one adult in the room. poor old Mr V would ve been out of his depth when it came to real diplomacy.
@Mick Tobin: ursula us German Germany is guaranteeing the EURO.
To be given no advance notice of such an explosive move really does let us know where we sit in Europe. This kind of more doesn’t bode well for the future
@ChuckE: how do you explain the speed with which the decision was reversed once Ireland objected?
Someone in Brussels ****ed up big time, that’s all
@ChuckE: I was thinking the same. It looks as if Michael Martin has a very poor status in the EU. Looks as if he and his government were again brushed aside on this one.
@ChuckE: I’d love to see what would happen if the EU tried a stunt like this on Macron.
@Michael Maher: He has very poor status everywhere.
@ChuckE: What if the Taoiseach was made aware of this action in advance and it was meant as a warning shot over the bow to tell the UK that they can expect a very hard reaction should they try something like this again with Astra Zeneca?
Did the EU really back down so quickly because Micheál Martin grabbed the phone and told them to stop?
Seems a but unlikely, but it is possible. Seems that things de-escalated very fast.
@ChuckE: How right you are, our population 4.8 million claiming importance among the EU’s 450 million
@Lesidees: once Ireland objected u must be joking when Ireland cowtiwed to Co. Mission objection to buying elsewhere even though yany member state can and indeed commission can’t bond any member state at Hall why member state gave to order oh no UK objected alsim
Has Ireland outgrown its usefulness to the eu?
@Tony Humphreys: not at all. Look how quick the EU changed their minds when they realised the mistake.
@Paul Furey: The backtracking by the EU was more to do with the bad PR over the failure of the EU commission. If the EU had any concerns about the impact on Ireland were clearly on the back burner otherwise they would have contacted the government.
@Paul Furey: This 110%.
@Tony Humphreys: Eirxit??
@Paul Furey: Stockholm Syndrome.. Thanks for giving me back my wallet after I started screaming when you lifted it out of my jacket.. What’s next? Our corporation tax?
@Tony Humphreys: No. The fact they reversed their decision says otherwise
@Tony Humphreys: yes save as DRBTIR
@Richard Cronin: the, order that all member states must place for yasyra to be bound to deliver on esti.imated ESTIMATED delivery date contains declaration by each member states to assist astra get all components to make, vacine such as file from Belgium to UK and declaration that if astra can’t deliver cos of competing contract eg pfeizet contracts to Germany then astra not in breach of any contract with member state or apa with commission. The Co. Mission can’t make contract it power limited to what it has from treaties which is why member states must order and member states can opt out indeed they can’t be obliged.
The EU can not be trusted, they need to be watched very closely every opportunity they get to to stick it to the UK they will try and they won’t give a toss about the consequences for Ireland or Northern Ireland.
@Seanboy: Ok bot.
@Brian Henoll: why is he a bot? Because he doesn’t bow down before an unelected bunch of bureaucrats who didn’t even bother consulting us before launching this daft decision than rescinding it because of international embarrassment? Why do blue eu flag worshippers always consider people with different viewpoints ‘bots’?
@Valthebear: like the blind leading the blind…or bots leading the blind!?
@Brian Henoll: All I can say to that is wow, the originality of the EU yes men is nothing but predictable. I would rather be accused of being a bot and have my own opinion than be a knob end like your good self and go along with what your European masters tells you.
Heard him on the Andrew Marr show on BBC this morning he was well able for Andrew and displayed statesmanship very calm and articulate well done he cleared up a lot of the untrue speculation
@Eugene McDonough: He cleared up a lot for innocent Iraqi people as well.
@Eugene McDonough: completely agree with you. He showed statesmanship which I had not expected!
He’ll know less if he goes to the U.S.
@Leadóg: He should go. Any chance to have a private meeting with one of the most important leaders in the world should not be missed.
@Shaun Gallagher: I think the reasons why he shouldn’t go are fairly obvious.
@Leadóg: Would it not be classed as work. Sure they are flying back and forth to Brussels.
@Shaun Gallagher: I think it’s the image it portrays. We’re all told to sit tight and he goes to the states on what looks like a knees up. It’s the perception. Do as I say, not as I do.
@Shaun Gallagher: Sleepy Joe won’t have a clue who he is or what shamrocks are for.
@Mike Moran: rather than forming your opinion by Trump’s juvenile name-calling maybe do a bit of research on Biden yourself.
@Leadóg: hardly a knees up. He’s promoting the country. Once this is over we’re going to need US dollars in the form of tourism and FDI more than ever. I’ve no problem with Martin putting his health on the line and travelling to Washington to promote the old sod.
@Mike Moran: You’re looking for the Daily Mail.
@Mike Moran: Seems like Trump was the one asleep if he really believes Joe stole the election?
Divide and rule, BoJo is loving this.
@Jules: it was Ireland who insisted on that one protocol we don’t know why EU backtracked and no doubt Merkel in there but I do know that when Coveney told may to go bCk to EU on good Friday agreement govt was allowing ei foot into that good fro agree
Again the Irish are treated with disregard, used as canon fodder by a large establishment once again.
@Seosamh: cos VOTERS not demanding td to act for constituents and exercise Dail power to make the govt lay esm treaty before Dail and take it out of EU hands
I hate this creature and can’t wait until the day I never have to hear another word out his mouth. Even I can admit he is in a difficult position not of his own making on this one. Unfortunately, British media and public seem to be taking his stance as Ireland siding with Britain getting to import vaccines from EU factories while keeping any made there too. They are seeing it as a win over EU with Ireland onside, which it is not. Likewise people of NI giving out the EU aren’t looking out for them, yet they are not a member state, they left with the UK so lost their say. Article 16 is there for this reason. You can be sure when Boris invokes it, as he has promised to do if a situation doesn’t work for the UK, he will not backtrack at the request of the Irish government like the EU did.
@Carol Oates: How many vaccines are researched and manufactured in the EU, none zero. How many are in the UK ,so far 3 and counting. Doesn’t that say everything you need to know about that corrupt organisation.
@Mike Moran: You must be a troll but I’m going to presume you are just not well informed. Ever heard of the Pfizer vaccine? Moderna will also be manufactured in EU as is Astrazeneca. And why should the UK government be at all worried about restrictions of vaccine exports from the EU? Because the UK is getting EU manufactured vaccine. As it should, but likewise EU should be getting British manufactured vaccine. There is no place for vaccine hoarding in a pandemic.
@Mike Moran: Ah do some research Mike ffs
@Carol Oates: who say they backtracked cos of ire objection when they browbested tapiseacj to not go anywhere else. I’d with that esm treaty not ratified by dail
@Mary Ward: is they post in English ?
Petty argument over supply when we should be focusing on solutions for the greater good. Getting to see the dark side of the EU these days….
And all mehole cares about is going to visit the yanks on St Patrick’s day. Totally unnecessary trip….
So everybody got upset at the EU’s attempt to deal with a massive shortfall in vaccine doses for all its citizens. Including those in Ireland. I agree that invoking article 16 was a bad approach but I am surprised that not a single politician in this country has referenced the way our citizens have been left without vaccines while the UK did a dirty deal with AZ.
@Joe Griffin: the UK is not in the EU anymore and can do their own private deals. I’m shocked you’re not more surprised by EU member Germany, independantly securing 30 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine and violating the EU’s vaccination strategy banning member countries from conducting parallel negotiations from the
https://www.politico.eu/article/germanys-coronavirus-vaccine-side-deal-at-odds-with-legally-binding-eu-pact/
And where to belive him?
@Pauline Fedigan: Yes.
@Pauline Fedigan: We’re back where we were.
So I’d say we could belive (sic) him here – where we were.
@Pauline Fedigan: I’d tend to believe him on this one. Everyone seems to have been taken by surprise with the announcement the other night, even a few of the EU top brass. The cracks were starting to appear with Ursula von der Leyen even before this and it’s becoming clearer she is just not up to the job. The main goal of herself and a few around her seems to be to keep the blame for the EU vaccine mess away from their own doors.
The truth is that Britain paid more for the astrazenica vaccine and that is why they are getting it first. Pure greed on behalf if the company.
@Liam Preston: No they didn’t, AZ are selling it to everyone at cost price, no profit whatsoever the only difference was the UK built factories to make the vaccine once it was authorised where are our factories?
Does the Taoiseach know anything about negative interest rates that. i hear Aib bank is about to do, and how does this affect the average joe soap like me .
Enda Kenny promised change and reform at what was probably our greatest ever opportunity for a real overhaul of politics in this country. The fools believed him and of course Enda failed to deliver with one of the most uninspiring performances we’ve ever witnessed from a Taoiseach. The electorate voted for change again last time out and like them or not, SF entered the arena but Leo declared them “not a real party” and locked them out of any discussions thereby alienating a third of the electorate. It was within the rules of course but it wasn’t in the spirit of true democracy. They won’t get away that plan forever although they will try. Change is definitely coming.
@Declan Doherty: Posted under the wrong article.
If we still had the Trade Commission portfolio, the mistake would not have happened. It was a seriously heavyweight role for a small country like ours. As was stated many times, the Trade Commissioner’s job was one of the two top roles in the Commission.
@helen wilson: if that bellend was still in the job they’d probably still be refusing to back down
@helen wilson: but Commissioners are supposed to advance a national interest..
@helen wilson: Lol.
Phil Hogan????
Oh my sides.
What vaccine does the EU think we manufacture anyway? We can’t export what we don’t make or do they think we plan to sell what we get for a profit & sod our own population?
@Joe Thorpe: We have an open border with both the UK and EU. The possibility was if restrictions were placed on vaccines going from the EU to UK, manufacturers and the UK government could ship them in the back door across the border to Northern Ireland. Reasonable assumption. It was never implied the Irish government would sell vaccines for profit.
@Carol Oates: I think someone has read too much fiction, the UK has about half a billion vaccine ordered & paid for long before the EU put pen to paper they have cast iron contracts they don’t need to waste their time chasing a few extra thousand vaccines around the sea it’s ludicrous to even think so. The Americans have contracts in place for their companies to ship their vaccine no matter where it is made in the world to America because their government funded the research with its warp speed program, the US like the UK didn’t put money before lives, the EU did & now we are where we are. You should read up on Von der leyen as defense minister of Germany & what happened under her stewardship.
@Joe Thorpe: Without getting into legality of what contracts were signed, because that is up to lawyers, the UK is importing vaccines from EU manufacturers as part of those contracts you mention. If the EU places restrictions on vaccines leaving the EU, it is entirely possible those manufacturers and the UK government could use the open EU border to get those vaccines to Northern Ireland, making restrictions useless. If the same thing was happening in America or UK where they have already restricted what medical suppliers can be exported, they would also act to close any loophole. To think anything else is, as you say, fiction.
Faith = belief without reason. Sums it up well.
The EU needs to be more careful, stuff like this can stir citizens against the EU and then lead to more countries voting for a “BREXIT”. Just read the comments above.
He’s a prix
I’m fairly confused about the Irish government and general Irish attitude here. Post covid all certainties are out regarding borders. Germany has banned travel from Ireland and Portugal. Ireland is in the EU and Portugal is in both the EU and schengen. Try explaining that to your 2019 self. Anyway while everybody agrees with that change to the EU’s once essential freedom of travel principles, it seems that stopping a scarce resource beneficial to the EU and Ireland from crossing the border into the U.K. and out of the EU is a major major issue post Brexit. Covid hasn’t changed that reality.
The state we are in now is that I can pop into the U.K. at anytime, which is leaving the EU, by crossing the border but I can’t go into another EU country. Ireland needs to back the EU, or leave.
The EU had not passed the vaccine for use until last week !! The UK passed it weeks ago !!
Micheal Martin was the only adult in the room. me V just doesn’t have the experience when it comes to a real diplomatic incident. He I n contrast to Mr M is good at stirring a d not so good at calming matters.
Did anyone consider that the EU only evoked Article 16 just to show the UK that they can do this to them on any import but especially when the Vaccine distribution numbers ain’t fair worldwide. However I also think they need to reel in Germany for doing their own trading for extra vaccine or any EU nation trading this way.
If the boot was on the other foot Boris would do the same if he had control of the Vaccine but most of it is manufactured in the EU.
@Thomas Armstrong: Actually no, when the world wanted PPE the UK sent it out to anyone & everyone even China & then when it came to their need for it the Germans put a hold on all exports & China would only sell back to the UK rather than send FOC to someone in. Their time of need like the UK did. What did the UK do? It said this will never happen again & built factories to manufacture its own PPE. 12 months ago the UK had no capacity to manufacture vaccine & it went off & built factories to do exactly that, we are where we are because we did’t make our own bed the UK did & the EU cant accept it.
@Thomas Armstrong: the EU just cracked the whip for the first time. Wow. Just to show that it can.
@Joe Thorpe: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-22-million-pieces-of-protective-equipment-shipped-to-uk-from-china
China pay back double or more that any help from other countries, not only PPE, medical teams as well, end of March of 2020 to UK
What a muppet
In fairness, lots of EU officials were also left flappergasted by the move, and spoke out on it. People at the top made a decision without consulting anyone about the protocols or impacts of such a f¥ck’d up move.
Boris makes a mistake on a weakly basis. EU made a major f up but otherwise its not like they do this regularly..
Any thing to get a nighthood
Done his bbc bit this morning, don’t understand why. Brits bring him on to tell them how right they where and how wrong EU was.
Won’t get any thanks from uk, EU or the Irish.
Better off stay away or can he
have your say