Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Question 269: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the parts of the Aarhus Convention Agreement and its associated EU directives, in which 2003/4/EC and 2003/35/EC have been ratified or transposed into Irish law to date; if he will set out for each part of the Aarhus Convention Agreement and its associated EU directives, if 2003/4/EC and 2003/35/EC have been ratified or transposed into Irish law, the date on which this occurred and the legislative instrument used to do same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13705/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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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 European Union 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 continues in my Department with regard to the transposition of these two directives and will be completed as soon as possible.