Press Release: Minister Roche pleased with progress made on EU environmental directives

Dick Roche, the Irish Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, on 12 July 2005, commented on Press Statements issued that day by the European Commission on infringement proceedings being advanced against Ireland over breaches of EU environmental law. In its Press Release (IP/05/910) the Commission warned Ireland about non-compliance with a European Court of Justice ruling (Case C-406/03) regarding protection of the ozone layer. The Court ruled that Ireland had failed to report to the Commission on how it was implementing a number of provisions of the EU's Regulation on substances that deplete the ozone layer. In a separate case, Ireland was also to be referred to the Court for failing to respect other reporting requirements of the same Regulation, including reporting on the quarantine and pre-shipment (QPS) use of methyl bromide, a highly ozone-depleting pesticide. The Press Release also stated that the Commission had taken three separate decisions in relation to Ireland's implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive. The final warning concerned Ireland's failure to notify the Commission of its national implementing legislation for an EU law on noise. Following new information received from the Irish authorities, the Commission had been able to close two cases that were the subject of previous press releases.

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