Brexit Brief 103

On Friday 29 January 2021 the European Commission announced its intention to introduce vaccine export control regulations, including activation of the safeguard provisions of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland. The decision came with no prior notification of the Irish and UK authorities or the Northern Ireland Executive, and created an immediate backlash, with all parties expressing their grave concerns. The invoking of Article 16 was subsequently withdrawn from the final draft, but the incident has led to strong criticism of the Commission.

This edition of the Brexit Brief details these developments, and brings together relevant news, comment and other developments from across the EU and UK. The Brexit Brief is written by Tony Brown, IIEA Senior Fellow, on behalf of the IIEA’s UK Expert Group.

Brexit Brief 103, published by the IIEA’s UK Project Group, is published on a fortnightly basis and covers developments in the on-going debate over the UK’s vote to leave the European Union.