The European Commission plans to refer Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to comply with water management rules under EU law.
Bulgaria, Spain, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia are also to be taken to court for failing to comply with the Water Framework Directive, introduced in 2000 to clean up Europe’s waters. It is linked to the Flood Directive, which requires countries to develop plans to prevent flooding.
Ireland “did not adequately report on its Third River Basin Management Plan,” the commission said in a statement.
A formal notification was sent in February 2023 and a follow-up investigation was conducted in September, but “efforts by the authorities have so far been insufficient,” the commission said.
The case, filed at the European Court of Justice, could result in fines if the country is found to have breached EU law.
The Water Framework Directive is Europe’s main water protection law, and when it is agreed, EU member states will commit to restoring all waters, including seawater, up to 1 nautical mile from their coasts to good condition by 2015. Did.
In a separate decision, the Commission also initiated infringement proceedings against Ireland for failing to fully comply with the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Directive.
“Untreated wastewater can endanger human health and contaminate lakes, rivers, soils, coasts and groundwater,” the commission warned.
“In Ireland, eight catchments with a population of over 2,000 people do not discharge urban wastewater until it has been properly treated.”
The commission said three further settlements with populations of more than 10,000 people were discharging wastewater in sensitive areas without the stricter treatment required by the directive.
The commission will send a formal letter to Ireland, which will have two months to respond and address the deficiencies identified. If the Commission determines that the response is insufficient, it can proceed to the next step in infringement proceedings.
The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications referred questions to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Cultural Heritage, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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