The European Parliament has been asked to clarify whether Ireland's exemption from domestic water charges was a permanent feature of the EU Water Framework Directive or whether it would expire at some point after 2010, when "recovery costs" of water provision become mandatory.
The parliament was also asked last night to clarify - in consultation with the EU Commission - whether the Irish Government is obliged to charge schools for water under the directive.
Addressing the parliament in Strasbourg, Irish MEP Maireád McGuinness said information on Ireland's exemption, negotiated in 2000, was hard to establish.
Arguing that the Irish Government had "scapegoated" the EU over water charges for schools, Ms McGuinness said there was concern that blaming Europe for bad news could also be applied to announcing the end of Ireland's domestic exemption.
According to the MEP, the negotiations between national governments and the commission on the domestic exemption may still be subject to different understandings between the parties to that agreement.
Ms McGuinness said the recent crisis over the position of schools in relation to payments had shown the Irish Government did not know exactly what it had agreed to in 2000.
Fellow Irish MEP Proinsias De Rossa also spoke on the issue calling on both the European Parliament and European Commission to "urgently and publicly clarify that the Irish Government is not obliged to charge schools for water under the Water Framework Directive 2000".
Mr De Rossa also accused the Government of "yet again scapegoating the EU for its own domestic political decisions.
"There is simply no justification in EU law for the Government's refusal to waive water charges on schools.
"Indeed, article 9 of the Water Framework Directive 2000 makes absolutely plain that a general exemption from water charging is allowed if alternative ways are put in place to achieve the objectives of clean water and water conservation by 2015," he said.
"Rather, it is the Irish Government's own regulations made in December 2003, which the Dáil can amend if given the opportunity, is where the school water charges have arisen."
Mr De Rossa said the Government had deliberately set out to falsely blame Brussels for its own decisions.
"It is hard to fathom how the Government parties can be so cavalier with the reputation of Europe as we face a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.