Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 15:

In page 25, to delete lines 12 to 18 and substitute the following:“44. Section 2 of the Act of 1991 is amended by the insertion of the following new definition:

“ ‘Espoo Convention’ means the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context done at Espoo, Finland on the 25th February 1991 and deposited with the United Nations at New York on 10th September 1997.”.”.

These amendments will enable the newly formed Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, to become the competent authority for Ireland's obligations under the Espoo Convention. The convention requires countries to undertake environmental assessments of major projects that could impact across international boundaries, including sea boundaries. The issue of Sellafield highlights the relevance of sea boundaries. Ireland signed this convention in 1991 and ratified it in 2002 but never designated a competent authority to oversee its provisions. This is the ideal time to do so and this is why I seek these amendments to the legislation.

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