Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 May 2022
217. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide a schedule of fines and totality of the amount paid in respect of fines issued by the EU on his Department for failing to transpose EU directives; if he will include the directive that was not transposed on time; and if he will indicate the directives that are still not fully transposed for the past 25 years to date in 2022. [22329/22]
View answerWhile my Department is not paying any fine for failing to transpose EU directives at the moment, I can provide details of fines paid for the Derrybrien case (C-261/18). It is important to note that these fines were not paid for ‘non-transposition’ of an EU Directive, as the Derrybrien judgment related to the specific non-compliance of the Derrybrien wind farm with the EIA Directive, as opposed to the non-transposition of the EIA Directive into Irish law.
The State has paid €13,220,000 in fines to the European Commission in relation to the case C-261/18 to date. Approximately €5.34m remains outstanding in daily fines accrued since 12 May 2021 to date. All payments to the Commission have been made by my Department.
Regarding the outstanding transposition of EU Directives by my Department, the transposition of the following two EU Directives are being progressed:
- Directive 2014/52 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 amending Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment;
- Directive (EU) 2020/2184 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Quality of Water intended for Human Consumption (recast) – Due by 12 January 2023.
I would also like to note that none of the above overdue transposition requirements have resulted in judgments or fines imposed against the State to date.
