Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2026
494. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the 2014 European Commission infringement proceedings against the State for breaches of the Urban WasteWater Treatment Directive. [49441/26]
View answerThe 2019 Judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Case C427/17, which arose from the 2013 infringement proceedings, found that 28 agglomerations in Ireland were not in compliance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. My Department has engaged closely with the European Commission since this case commenced. In May 2019, my Department agreed with the Commission to undertake a programme of measures to deliver on the requirements of the 2019 Judgment.
Between May 2019 to October 2025, my Department submitted nine progress update reports to the European Commission. By October 2025, work had been completed on 26 of the 28 agglomerations to ensure compliance with the Directive. In December 2025, the European Commission referred the Case back to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for an adjudication on fines.
Work is ongoing in the remaining two agglomerations, Midleton and Cork City.
