EU Postpones Diplomatic Meeting with UK in Alleged Tit-for-Tat over Ambassador Downgrade

Brussels has postponed the inaugural meeting between Britain’s mission to the bloc and European Union officials, in apparent retaliation for the UK refusing to give the EU’s envoys the diplomatic status afforded to those representing sovereign states.

Last week, media revealed a row between Britain’s Foreign Office, headed by Dominic Raab, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, where the UK refused to give the bloc’s representatives the same diplomatic privileges afforded to the ambassadors and embassy staff of countries. The Foreign Office reportedly did not want the UK, as a newly-independent state, to set a precedent by giving an international organisation like the European Union the status of a nation, which could result in others demanding the same diplomatic privileges.

In what The Guardian quoted sources as saying represented a tit-for-tat move, the EU “postponed for the time being” the inaugural meeting initially scheduled for Thursday between the UK’s new head of mission in Brussels Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby and Frédéric Bernard, the chief aide to European Council President Charles Michel. Mr Michel (pictured, above) oversees the Brussels institution comprised of the heads of government or state of the EU-27. The meeting was to precede Mr Criosdale-Appleby formally presenting his credentials to European Council President Michel.

Britain has broke with the procedures followed by 142 other countries that afford the EU representatives rights set out under the Vienna Convention, including diplomatic immunity, and other privileges such as immunity from taxation. Brussels is said to be concerned that other countries may follow suit and downgrade their embassies.

The UK has said that while it is still discussing the status of João Vale de Almeida and his 25 staff, the lesser rank would not impede the mission’s ability to do its job, differing functionally only in that Mr Vale de Almeida would not be presenting his credentials to the Head of State, Queen Elizabeth II. The EU’s retaliation appears to be mirroring the denial of Vale de Almedia to have the audience with the Queen. However, POLITICO reports that UK officials have not made any requests to appear before Michel.

Earlier this week, Mr Borrell said that the move was “unacceptable”, demanding that his staff in the UK be given high-level privileges “without delay”.

“But we will not accept that the United Kingdom will be the only country in the world that doesn’t recognise the delegation of the European Union the equivalent of a diplomatic mission,” Borrell had said.

The Eurocrat also appeared to offer a veiled threat by saying: “If things continue like this there are no good prospects.”

The diplomatic spat is not the only tensions between London and Brussels in recent weeks.

In the past few days, the European Union has accused drugs firm AstraZeneca of sending vaccines meant for the European market to the UK and has demanded any doses manufactured by the drugs company in the UK under a British government contract to be sent to the Continent to make up for a shortfall in European-produced vaccines.

Reports and statements from the pharmaceutical company’s CEO suggest that excessive Brussels bureaucracy resulted in delays in signing contracts and commencing production, leaving the EU three months behind the UK in terms of vaccination programmes.