Mot the most diplomatic of activities, but ot takes two to tango.


"Two Commission officials described the move as a mistake and the Commission issued a statement late Friday, in which it did not explain the error but said it would no longer trigger the override provision and that the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement would remain intact.

“In the process of finalisation of this measure, the Commission will ensure that the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol is unaffected,” it said in the statement. “The Commission is not triggering the safeguard clause.”

The Commission added, “Should transits of vaccines and active substances toward third countries be abused to circumvent the effects of the authorisation system, the EU will consider using all the instruments at its disposal.” "
www.politico.eu/article/eu-drops-irish-border-plan-coronavirus-vaccine-exports/

BTW
"UK weighs vaccine export restrictions
The move follows fears that vaccines produced in the UK could be diverted to the EU.
The U.K. government has sought legal advice on preventing coronavirus vaccines or their ingredients being exported, suggesting that ministers are actively considering countermeasures they could deploy if other countries start restricting cross-border movements of vaccines.

This power would be limited only to the needs of the domestic population and would not stop the export of additional supply to markets overseas, according to two government officials and two legal experts familiar with the matter."
www.politico.eu/article/uk-weighs-coronavirus-vaccine-export-restrictions/


"At least now the vaccine that the EU is fighting for is finally approved."
www.politico.eu/article/eu-astrazeneca-coronavirus-vaccine-approved-but-doubts-remain/


"The U.K. will not remove export controls on dozens of medicines, Boris Johnson's spokesperson said, despite the U.K. prime minister's assertion this week that he did not want to see "restrictions on the supply of drugs across borders."

Responding to reports the EU might impose controls on vaccine exports on Tuesday, Johnson said it was "pretty commonsensical" not to restrict the cross-border supply of drugs, vaccines or their ingredients.

His comments came despite the U.K.'s imposition in 2020 of export restrictions on around 100 medicines that could be used to treat COVID-19 on top of scores of related drugs, as reported by POLITICO."
www.politico.eu/article/uk-coronavirus-medicine-vaccine-export-restrictions-eu/