14 February 2006

Environment

Aarhus Convention Transposition

Ciarán Cuffe asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when he intends to implement Directive 2003/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 providing for public participation in respect of the drawing up of certain plans and programmes relating to the environment and amending with regard to public participation and access to justice Council Directives 85/337/EEC and 96/61/EC.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. B. O’Keeffe):

Ireland signed the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters on 25 June 1998. Progress towards ratification of the convention is closely aligned with work at EU level. To date, the European Union has adopted two directives as part of the ratification process for the convention. These deal with public access to environmental information, 2003/4/EC, and public participation in certain environmental decision making procedures, 2003/35/EC. Ratification of the convention will take place after these directives have been transposed into Irish law.

Work is continuing in my Department with regard to the transposition of these two directives and will be completed as soon as possible. When the work on transposition is completed, the instrument of ratification of the Aarhus Convention will be submitted to Government and laid before the Dáil.