State faces heavy fines after waste breach ruling

IRELAND has seriously breached an EU directive on waste management, including controls on illegal dumping, the European Court of Justice has ruled.

The preliminary finding clears the way for heavy fines to be imposed on the Government by the Luxembourg-based court.

In an opinion delivered by Advocate General Leendert Geelhoed yesterday, the court declared Ireland to be in breach of five sections of the EU directive on waste. The ruling said Ireland had failed “over a protracted period of time” to establish an adequate and fully operational licensing system for waste disposal.