EU taking Ireland to court over alleged lack of peat-cutting enforcement

The European Commission has taken Ireland to Europe’s highest court over the alleged lack of enforcement of EU rules when it comes to peat cutting. Following years of friction between the Government and the Commission on the issue, the EU’s executive body today referred Ireland to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for failure to comply with EU rules on environmental impact assessments. In a statement, the Commission said Ireland had failed to comply with the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive. The statement claimed there was still “significant peat cutting activity” which was not subject to planning permission or environmental impact...