Brussels, 16/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - More than two years after the EU Court of Justice found against Ireland for persistent infringement of Directive 85/33/EEC on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, no measures have been brought forward to address this issue. The Commission is losing patience. At the behest of European Environment Commissioner Janez Potoènik, the Commission is about to refer the case back to the Court. Ireland could face a massive financial sanction if it does not comply as quickly as possible. It could be hit with a lump-sum fine of more than €4,000 per day for the period between the first Court ruling and the second Court ruling and a daily penalty payment of more than €33,000 per day for each day after the second Court ruling until the infringement ends, the Commission announced on Wednesday 16 February.
In its first ruling in November 2008, the Court found that Irish legislation incorrectly allowed construction projects, including the restructuring of rural landholdings and water management projects for irrigation or land drainage, to proceed unchecked, resulting in damage to or the destruction of archaeological sites or other sensitive countryside features. (A.N./transl.rt)