Reax to EU plans for vaccine border controls in NIreland

There's been criticism in Northern Ireland and the UK to European Union plans for border controls in Northern Ireland, which it abandoned late Friday night, as the EU attempts to tackle a vaccine supply shortage on the continent.

In the heart of Loyalist East Belfast, some said they felt abandoned and accused the British government of betraying them.

But 50 miles (80 kilometres) south of Belfast, where the Brexit arrangement had been welcomed, it was a different story on the farms along the border.

Farmer Damien McGinity campaigned for the Northern Ireland protocol and couldn't believe the EU was preparing to tear it up.

On Saturday, UK Cabinet Minister Michael Gove called for a reset with the European Union, saying that the EU had recognised that it made a mistake.

The EU introduced tighter rules on Friday on exports of COVID-19 vaccines that could hit shipments to nations like the United Kingdom, deepening a dispute with London over scarce supplies of potentially life-saving shots.

But amid an outcry in Northern Ireland and the UK, the European Commission made it clear the new measure would not trigger controls on vaccines shipments produced in the 27-nation bloc to the small territory that is part of United Kingdom bordering EU member Ireland.

Under the post-Brexit deal, EU products should still be able to travel unhindered from the bloc to Northern Ireland.

The EU unveiled its plans to tighten rules on exports of coronavirus vaccines produced inside the bloc amid fears some of the doses it secured from AstraZeneca could be diverted elsewhere. The measure could be used to block shipments to many non-EU countries and ensure that any exporting company based in the EU will first have to submit their plans to national authorities.

The UK and Northern Ireland governments immediately lashed out at the move, saying the bloc invoked an emergency clause in its divorce deal with Britain to introducing controls on exports to Northern Ireland. Goods are supposed to flow freely between the EU and Northern Ireland under special arrangements for the U.K. region designed to protect the peace process on the island of Ireland.

But the EU later said it was not invoking Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol allowing either side to override parts of their deal.