The proposed siting of the new EU Food and Veterinary Office in Grange, Co Meath, has received a further blow as three complaints have been filed with European institutions over the location.
This follows debate on the quality of water supplied by the group water scheme in the area. The proposal to site the new office in Ireland has already been criticised by some staff members unwilling to move to Meath.
About 160 staff are expected to move into the new European Commission facility early next year.
This week, Ms Patricia McKenna, Green MEP, filed two complaints with the European Court of Auditors and the Ombudsman, arguing that the choice of location was in breach of an official decision agreed in Brussels in 1993.
"The text of the decision clearly states that the office is to be located in a town," she said. "However, Grange is not a town at all. The nearest town, Trim, is about 8 kilometres away."
Ms McKenna claimed the area did not have appropriate public transport or other facilities for the staff. Friends of the Irish Environment has filed a petition with the President of the European Parliament, making a similar case.
The quality of water supplied by the Kiltale group water scheme was raised by Mr John Cushnahan, Fine Gael MEP, last week. His claims over water quality were dismissed by the Kiltale group water scheme and by the Office of Public Works.
However, the Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that faecal coliforms were found in the Kiltale group water supply in 1998. Three water samples showed evidence of coliforms, two of which showed faecal coliforms. "The presence of coliforms is a cause for concern," a spokesman for the EPA said. "Faecal coliforms are an even greater cause for concern." Faecal coliforms usually indicate the presence of animal waste in the water.
The EPA spokesman said there appeared to be a significant improvement in water quality in 1999. A spokesman for the Kiltale group water scheme said any tests could not be related to the water which would be supplied to the new European Commission office as new water treatment facilities were not yet in place. The OPW has pointed out that the new facility would also have its own, independent treatment plant.
A spokesman for the European Commission said the location of the office had been decided by the heads of government, and not the Commission.
