EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas has said efforts to combat environmental pollution in the Republic are not sufficient, and more needs to be done, particularly in the area of waste treatment and water pollution.
Speaking in Dublin yesterday morning, Mr Dimas also said the nitrates directive must be accepted if small, rural tourist-based activities were to survive.
But he said he believed Ireland could still meet its Kyoto targets with the help of the emissions-trading system, which he insisted was working well, despite criticism from an Irish environmental think tank.
Mr Dimas told journalists there were "still open problems" in relation to Ireland's record on environmental management.
"I have to admit that the last few months we have seen improvements from investment in water treatment, as well as improvements in the management of waste," he said, before adding: "But these are not sufficient, we need more for a country like Ireland which is so beautiful and whose environment is very important."
The nitrates directive was "not as bad as we think it is" and would ensure good quality of water in Ireland. He added that its implementation was essential for clean water and the economic sustainability of small towns that depended on tourism based on angling, for example.
In response to questions on incineration, he said the technology was in place to remove harmful emissions, but added that this implied a requirement that such incinerators be managed correctly.
Mr Dimas did not respond directly to a question about the Republic's moratorium on new connections from wind farms to the national grid, but he commended Denmark, which supplies 30 per cent of its electricity requirement from wind power.
