Government Outlines Decarbonisation Actions For 2023

Ireland moves forward with legislation to implement the EU Deforestation Regulation, introducing supply chain due diligence requirements for commodities like cattle, cocoa, coffee, and wood. The draft bill aims to ensure products placed on the Irish market are certified as deforestation-free, with enforcement beginning in December 2026.

The Irish Government has published the General Scheme of the Maritime Area Planning (Marine Protected Areas) (Amendment) Bill 2026, which would integrate marine protected area designation into Ireland's existing maritime spatial planning framework. This legislative proposal aims to protect 30% of Irish waters by 2030 while establishing new compliance obligations for public bodies and consultation mechanisms for stakeholders with maritime interests.

Ireland's Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2026 introduces significant reforms to judicial review procedures and planning law, while new EU packaging regulations and climate action consultations signal major environmental policy shifts. Key court decisions address wind turbine noise nuisance and water quality obligations under EU directives.

Ireland's Minister for Agriculture has published the draft General Scheme of the Deforestation and Forest Degradation Bill 2026, establishing the national enforcement framework for the EU Deforestation Regulation.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled that appropriate assessments of plans or projects affecting special protection areas cannot be validly conducted without pre-established site-specific conservation objectives. This landmark judgment addresses whether conservation objectives are a prerequisite for environmental impact assessments under the Habitats Directive, with significant implications for development consent procedures across the EU.

Ireland's Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026 introduces targeted reforms to EPA licensing processes, while legal challenges to the EU's Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive threaten a new extended producer responsibility model requiring pharmaceutical and cosmetics manufacturers to fund 80% of quaternary water treatment costs.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has ruled on whether EU environmental information laws grant requesters a right to anonymity when making access requests.

The European Commission published guidance on adapting Natura 2000 sites to climate change on 25 March 2026. The guidance is directed to Member States, Natura 2000 site managers and environmental authorities.

The European Commission’s Grids Package has been welcomed by many in industry as a catalyst for accelerated grid delivery and reform.

With the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”) now entering its operational period, the European Commission...