EU law vital to our island

HARD to credit, but a staggering 650 pieces of EU law are in place to protect the Irish environment, north and south. 

It’s an area in which Brussels rules and could be said to be one of the main benefits of EU membership, given that our own record on the environment is far from impressive.

Cross-border cooperation plays a key role in dealing with issues such as habitat loss and climate change in the whole island. With Brexit, however, that cooperation could be seriously undermined. Environmentalists are concerned that, up to now, the main focus in regard to Brexit has been on economic issues and that other important matters are being sidelined. An All-Ireland environmental coalition of non-government organisations recently went to Brussels to highlight worries about challenges posed by Brexit. They emphasised how the island, as a single unit, had benefited hugely from a common set of environmental standards.