Section 16 of a newly published document from the Commission reads: “Exports of goods from Northern Ireland to other parts of the United Kingdom cannot be restricted by Union law unless this is strictly required by international obligations of the Union. Therefore, movements of goods covered by this Regulation between the Union and Northern Ireland should be treated as exports.

“Whilst quantitative restrictions on exports are prohibited between the Union and Northern Ireland, in accordance with Article 5 (5) of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, this is justified as a safeguard measure pursuant to Article 16 of that Protocol in order to avert serious societal difficulties due to a lack of supply threatening to disturb the orderly implementation of the vaccination campaigns in the Member States.”

BBC Economics Editor Faisal Islam posted this section of the document on Twitter.

He wrote: “Commission has invoked Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol on “averting serious societal difficulties” as regards vaccines.

“So it says that NI will be considered an export territory for purposes of vaccine from EU and therefore RoI –

“Looks like a land border for eu vaccines on island of Ireland.

“Interesting to see what Dublin thinks about this?”

JP Campbell, the BBC’s Economics & Business Editor for Northern Ireland, replied: “To be clear: NI still gets its vaccines from the UK pot.

“This prevents vaccines being sent direct for EU to NI as that could be used to circumvent the temporary export ban.”

On Friday, the commission said it had agreed a plan to control the exports of vaccines fromthe EU, including Britain, it order to ensure its own supplies.

EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told a news conference said the export controls were “time limited”.

They will initially last until the end of March, and will apply to Covid vaccines the bloc has bought in advance.

The EU could choose to block the export of a vaccine if they believe this could undermine its own supplies.

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides told a news conference: “This is an insurance policy.”

The Commission has been quick to stress this is not an export ban of any kind.

Britain will not be extempt, although donations to OVAX, designed for poorer countries, will be, as will a number of EU neighbours including Norway, Switzerland and those of the western Balkans and North Africa.

The new guidelines state drugmakers will have to request export authorisation in the EU country where the vaccine is manufactured.

The country in question would then have to consult with Brussels to come to a decision in two working days.

This is a breaking story. More to follow…