The Taoiseach has welcomed the announcement that the EU will not seek to override the Northern Ireland protocol as part of its efforts to control exports of Covid-19 vaccines.
Micheál Martin said he had pointed out the implications of such a move to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in discussions yesterday evening.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney said the news was welcome but that lessons should be learned, saying the 'no border' clause for the island of Ireland had been a hard-won compromise.
The EU caught many, including the Irish Government, by surprise by announcing that it planned to trigger Article 16 of the protocol to bring about new monitoring controls on exports of Covid-19 vaccines.