Green Gormley found out by European court ruling on septic tanks

Posted by Bronwen Maher on October 29, 2009 at 11:46 AM

“Today’s ruling against Ireland by the European Court of Justice which slams the government’s abject failure to comply with EU law in regard to the operation of septic tanks is a damning indictment of this administrations ‘green’ credentials’.

"It is estimated that there are approximately 400,000 septic tanks in operation in Ireland at present.

"As the only Irish member of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee, I believe that this judgment is all the more embarrassing for the Green Party given the fact that the Minister for the Environment John Gormley has spent the last year effectively arguing on the basis of technicalities before the European Court of Justice that Ireland was acting in full compliance with the EU Waste Water Directive, when it was manifestly not.

“The Greens should explain why a commitment in the new Programme for Government to introduce a new scheme for the licensing and inspection of septic tanks and wastewater treatment systems has been tarted-up and cynically presented as a new policy departure when all it represents is merely a restatement of our existing obligations under the EU Waste Water Directive. This is clearly a case of closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

“This is just the latest in a long line of damaging judgments handed down by the European Court to Ireland on important environmental matters.

“Given the pervasiveness of septic tanks and other individual treatment systems in rural Ireland in particular, the implications of this judgment should be carefully studied.

“The government, local authorities and other agencies may be required to introduce a programme to upgrade and improve existing domestic waste water systems. If upgrading is deemed to be required to ensure compliance then the state must accept its responsibilities and assist householders financially to do this.”

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