An Taisce, The National Trust for Ireland welcomes this week's decision of the European Courts of Justice about Ireland's transposition and implementation of the Environmental Impact Assessment directive (judgement c-50/09).

Summarizing this complex case, Ian Lumley, An Taisce's Heritage Officer said: "This decision has landmark repercussions for the way Environmental Impact Assessment is carried out in Ireland and the transparency of this process. An Taisce welcomes this as a long awaited clarification that there are serious issues with the way EIA is conducted in Ireland.

"The judgement also has significant implications for split decision making between agencies such as the EPA, HSE and An Bord Pleanála, which has been an issue associated with a number of major applications including the incinerator at Duleek and the Glandis wood processing factory at Leap in Offaly. Currently we are in the absurd position where there is no obligation for different licensing organisations to actually talk to each other to make sure their rulings work together."

In the light of a recent decision announced by the European Commission to ask the ECJ to pursue fines against Ireland for not complying with the court's decisions, An Taisce believes that it is imperative that the new Government address the issues raised by this most recent judgement in a timely and effective fashion. We expect that the new Government will be keen not to squander further scarce economic resources on wholly avoidable fines that could run to tens of millions.

Full details of the rulings including the three separate complaints and the implications of these can be found in the briefing note at http://www.tinyurl.ie/3lj

Website: www.antaisce.org
An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland was founded as a charity in 1948 with the simple aims of protecting and preserving things of natural beauty and human interest, and of safeguarding Ireland's treasures of the past and present for the benefit of the people of today and tomorrow. Ireland has a treasury of natural and cultural resources, which will serve us as a nation through the years and generations to come. "A store of treasure must be conserved, spent and invested wisely to ensure that the people of this country can continue to share these riches."