Europe says it’s not to blame for flooding crisis

Emergency works – even in priority habitats – can be pursued when people and homes are at risk of flooding, according to the European environment officials.

Planned schemes in designated areas to alleviate flooding risk should be pursued through the IROPI (Imperative Reasons for Overriding Public Interest) mechanism in the birds and habitats directive – which has granted permission to all but one project in two decades.

The meeting between an Irish delegation of Irish MEPs, TDs and farming representatives with four top officials in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment has injected a fresh sense of confidence in local politicians to solve the flooding problem across the country, claimed Roscommon–South Leitrim TD and Glinsk resident Michael Fitzmaurice.

The Irish authorities have adopted an overly cautious approach when it comes to interpreting the European legislation – which has led to the devastating floods due to the lack of remedial work.

“What we’ve been told in Europe and what we’re told here are two different stories to be quiet honest,” he insisted.

“I’m confident that whoever is in government, if they’ve the drive to do it, will be able to do it – straight up, no ifs, buts about it.”

The leader of the turfcutters, who has been at loggerheads with the authorities over a ban on cutting turf in designated bogs, said he was very blunt with the officials the delegation met.

“I was talking about turloughs and how we in put in a drain from one to another in Roscommon to save a house in a SAC (Special Area of Conservation). They as much as said ‘what about’ – for the simple reason we weren’t draining the turlough dry, we weren’t going to the middle of the turlough, we were relieving the excess water at the edges,” he explained.

“They made it very clear – in an emergency you have to do whatever works necessary, you drive on; if you’re doing a plan for the area, yes go through an IROPI and in 20 years just one project has been turned down across Europe.”

The TD and former Galway County Councillor presented the Europeans with a document circulated from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to local authorities in 2011 which stated that “every effort should be made to avoid recourse to IROPI as planners should avoid the IROPI process as this is a legally difficult, expensive, lengthy and complex process, with no guarantee of a successful outcome and with a serious risk of legal challenges”.

He said they totally rejected that official assessment and pointed out that many countries, including the UK, had successfully negotiated the process.

“They brought up the Outer City Bypass and said if Galway had gone down the IROPI process it would have been completed by now,” Deputy Fitzmaurice stated.

The next step being pursued by the delegation is to bring over the four officials to face the Oireachtas environment committee with executives from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Office of Public Works (OPW) and bring clarity to the flooding crisis – hopefully before the next general election is called.

“That way everyone in Ireland can hear in black and white what’s been said. I know all too well everytime you put a shovel in the ground they try and stop you.”

The Commission also stated that the EU Solidarity fund could be applied for and that Regional Funds could also be used to alleviate or mitigate the risk of flooding.