EC heritage ruling - Obligations dodged for long enough

FOR a society so obsessed with its past we do not care for the legacy we hold in trust for future generations as we are obliged to. Yesterday’s announcement that the European Commission is, again, taking Ireland to Europe’s highest court because we have not implemented a judgement on Government’s failure to protect natural or man-made heritage is another example of our devil-may-care irresponsibility.

The current action — and the possibility of €33,000 a day fines — focuses on our willful failure to prepare proper environmental impact assessments prior to development of wetlands or archaeological sites below a certain size.

Earlier EC court actions were needed to enforce the water/nitrates directive which took over a decade to implement. In that time waterways were enriched and all but destroyed because politicians pandered to powerful interests. These interests had, of course, a strong case because politicians often presided over pollution of waterways by local authorities.