Pressure from EU member countries to speed up vaccine delivery in the bloc has pushed the Commission from one misstep into the next. But it is worth not losing sight of what has been achieved, even if our patience is being tested.
The European Commission has signed contracts for around 2bn vaccine doses, enough to immunise its entire population twice over. It bet on multiple suppliers, opted for maximum safety, ensured that all member countries have equal access for the best possible price.
Prime minister Xavier Bettel last year said Luxembourg would probably have lost out on early vaccine deliveries or would have had to pay an astronomical sum had it been left to fend for itself.
How Brexit shows the vital importance of Ireland s seas and ports
Updated / Monday, 1 Feb 2021
13:54
According to Nicholas Allen, author of the recently published
(Oxford University Press, 2020), Ireland is an island that forgot itself . UCC’s Claire Connolly has identified how Ireland’s relationship with its seas, coasts and ports has long been uncomfortable and defined by feelings of unease, dizziness and sea-sickness. It s one shaped by the violence of empire and a political culture which attaches primary importance to agriculture, land and land ownership.
While Ireland’s religious, industrial, demographic and geo-political histories have all been shaped by the sea, the maritime features surprisingly little in the Irish cultural imagination. There are, as Gillian O’Brien’s excellent
Analysis: buying online from our nearest neighbour now comes with extra risks for consumers trying to enforce their legal rights
This article is now available above as a Brainstorm podcast. You can subscribe to the Brainstorm podcast through Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts .
Irish consumers are already feeling the effects of Brexit. There have been reports of delays in delivery from UK retailers due to additional border checks and protocols, and many consumers have already experienced the unwelcome surprise of VAT and customs duties being payable on delivery of their parcels.
However, these are not the only Brexit-related issues that consumers need to be aware of. A further area of concern is the impact that Brexit will have on consumer rights when buying from UK-based retailers.
Updated / Friday, 22 Jan 2021
19:37
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Guest: Former EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier
RTÉ Europe Editor Tony Connelly talks to former EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier and discusses diplomatic spats and The Who with Deputy Foreign Editor Colm Ó Mongáin.
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| UPDATED: 18:17, Tue, Dec 22, 2020
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A Brexit trade deal could be ripped apart after the UK and the EU clashed over a key issue in talks as Brexiteers fear Brussels could gain a backdoor advantage . Tension is already boiling over fisheries, as the EU looks to preserve its access to UK fishing grounds. Brussels has also warned the UK it must accept regulatory alignment if Britain is to keep access to European markets. However, rows over state aid rules have once again emerged as an additional stumbling block