The EU, after opprobium from all sides, has ceased plans to prevent the UK from supplying vaccines to Northern Ireland. The EU, in a difficult position after taking longer to approve a vaccine for Covid than Britain, was unable to secure guaranteed production capacity from AstraZeneca, this having been taken up by the British government, who approved and ordered the vaccine first. The EU's response was to conduct Police raids of AstraZeneca facilities within the EU and proposals to seize the vaccines the UK government had paid for, as well as requiring the British-Swedish multinational to transfer any vaccine doses produced in the UK to the EU for distribution there. After these proposals were deemed unworkable, the EU instead proposed to effectively hold Northern Ireland to ransom, preventing the UK from supplying vaccine to Northern Ireland until the EU had received it's own requirement. However, after all parties decried this, the EU has relented.

The EU, after opprobium from all sides, has ceased plans to prevent the UK from supplying vaccines to Northern Ireland.

The EU, in a difficult position after taking longer to approve a vaccine for Covid than Britain, was unable to secure guaranteed production capacity from AstraZeneca, this having been taken up by the British government, who approved and ordered the vaccine first. The EU's response was to conduct Police raids of AstraZeneca facilities and proposals to seize the vaccines the UK government had paid for, as well as requiring the British-Swedish multinational to transfer any vaccine doses produced in the UK to the EU for distribution there. After these proposals were deemed unworkable, the EU instead proposed to effectively hold Northern Ireland to ransom, preventing the UK from supplying vaccine to Northern Ireland until the EU had received it's own requirement. However, after all parties decried this, the EU has relented.