A senior EU official has apologised to Ireland after an attempt to trigger article 16 of the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol.
Triggering the article could have meant checks on goods moving between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
The EU attempted the measure to ensure vaccines were not leaving the EU through Northern Ireland but quickly backed down after a furious backlash.
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic told an Oireachtas committee that the move was a mistake: