EU has triggered article 16 over controls on vaccine exports

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Breaking news on sky
news.sky.com/story/covid-19-eu-introduces-controls-on-vaccine-exports-to-northern-ireland-12202656

When the UK removed its cash from the EU, it was always inevitable that the burden would fall more heavily on the remaining members, and now it turns out that northern Europe has to pay more, they would like a better deal for what they are subsidising. I suspect we shall see the wealthier states in the EU backing off fast. France is trapped in the middle, and its elections in May could be ... informative.

@ZooKeeper19

You post just shows you don’t have a clue, and don’t understand the background. Suggest you spend some time reading and getting your facts correct

Sorry. Someone triggered Article 16, by accident? ... I need a lie down.

I had a friend who was a remainer they decided because I wasn't they could no longer be friends with me...

Sad but oh well.

Earlier today they message me out the blue ranting about the EU and what are they playing at.

I deleted the message and blocked them. Stuff the friendship they were so happy to throw away because we didn't share the same political view.

I voted remain. And right now I think fuck the EU. Happy to hold my hands up and say I was wrong.

@SushiSoozie

So does that mean that after all of their bleating and using the US as pressure that there must never be a hard border in Ireland, they have caused one?

Where have you been? Brexit already did that! Honestly the insular nature of UK news is amazing, you have no idea what is actually going on.

Haha. You think UK news is insular, you need to travel more!

So the UK chooses to leave the EU so what?! There was no law saying that all who joined had to stay in, especially as the EU evolved into an entity completely different to how it started out as the EEC.

Brexit did not incur a hard border (that was avoided in the Protocol, didn't you hear) but Commission has done so take your EuroCom blinkers off and put the blame where it's due.

@SushiSoozie

Do you realise that Ireland is in the EU and Northern Ireland is not? There is a border and always has been.

NI is in the Single Market and its citizens are EU citizens or can elect to be.

And the border is very porous, there are places where you barely know what side of the border you are on (eg Belleek).

A government source said article 16 may have been inadvertently triggered by “someone who did not understand the political implications” of the decision.

Yes, just like the person who was in charge of the ordering and who did not understand the economic implications of a late order.

I voted remain. And still would.
But even I can see the EU is acting unreasonably here.

@IcedPurple

As this is a very politically sensitive issue, Micheal Martin is already talking to Ursula von der Leyen to exclude NI from this.

Given that it is, as you say, a very sensitive issue, surely Michael Martin should have been consulted before the EU decided to light the fuse on the Irish border?

Yes, of course he should. Obviously.

And I assume he is making that exact point to Brussels, extremely forcefully, right now.

Disgusting behaviour

@PicsInRed

Basically, the EU belong on the CF stories thread.

Correct, AIBU or the relationships board.

EU as the abusive ex, the UK having fled the relationship. ROI and NI are the kids, used as pawns by Mr EU to control Ms UK and now teach her a lesson, with zero regard to the dangers wrought on the Irelands kids.

UK, have my first ever "LTB".

"inadvertently triggered"

yeah, right

@redsquirrelfan
The UK could have ordered its own stock of vaccine if we'd still been in the EU. In fact we were in the transition period when we did.

No we couldn’t, Germany and others tried and where told by the EU not to, they had to be ordered at the same time, Germany and others were ready to sign when we did

So had we remained we would still not be getting vaccinations at a large rate as Astra has only just been agreed

@NiceViper

"inadvertently triggered"

yeah, right

How do you 'inadvertently trigger' a treaty clause?

Is it kind of like the time I accidentally switched on the TV when I fell asleep on the couch, turned over and inadvertently triggered the remote control?

Squiffany

That was everything promised and more 🤣🤣🤣

The ardent remainers on the Brexit board are rabidly defending the EU, apparently this is all the UKs fault

Ah, so they’ve deserted the coronavirus board en masse and retreated back to their echo chamber. Hilarious!

Be interested to hear Sturgeon’s views on her desire to remain in EU now.

I for one cannot wait!

I actually can’t believe what is happening. Let’s hope that everything calms down overnight.

So Belgium, Germany and France have triggered Article 16 without consulting other nations (including Ireland)!! and the other debt who*re nations who have no option but to go along with whatever Brussels says... to achieve what??? We don't actually have that much vaccine on order compared to the larger countries?? What on earth do they think they can take? We don't have the millions that they need... So irresponsible and mindblowingly stupid.

How do you 'inadvertently trigger' a treaty clause?

Is it kind of like the time I accidentally switched on the TV when I fell asleep on the couch, turned over and inadvertently triggered the remote control?

Quite. Shall we all now agree that the EU must never be allowed to enrich uranium and send in some UN inspectors?

A bit hysterical no? What they have done is trigger art 15 so NI will be treated as a non EU country for vaccine export purposes. This can be done in emergencies which Covid undoubtedly is. It’s not ideal and I would prefer to see cooperation but I think racist comments about Germans taking over or the EU being finished are overkill.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

I voted Remain. I'm still convinced Brexit was a mistake.

But this, this is just right and a complete and utter act of sore losers.

Same

Omg
This is ducking typical. And that how barriers are built. AZ had gone beach on their contract, but that’s ok?

Most governments are white because nobody holds anyone to account on any ducking thing. It is the same in the workplace - we have raised a generation of me me me bullshitters who refuse to ever own up to their own mistakes and look only for themselves. It’s only fair when it benefits you. This is true all over Europe but especially in Westminster.

@Aloethere

I love how people are suddenly pretending they give a shit about NI. You give a shit now that you can push the knife in to the EU and spout about how actually brexit was good thing, half of people in Britain don't have the faintest notion about NI or ROI nor do they care.

And the EU does?? If so, why did they invoke art16?

I think you have to give mainland Brits a bit more credit regarding NI and the Republic as we weren't unaffected by the Troubles (assuming this is what you are referring to.)

Well clearly my autocorrect is also not coming cooperating