Sir, - I am writing to appeal to the Irish public to allow a reasoned discussion of the issue of water charges and the use of fiscal instruments generally as a way of managing our environmental assets. Our politicians and their agents, the Civil Service, are so terrified of adverse public reaction to even the mention of charges that we are now not only refusing to contemplate a sensible management of our own assets, but are helping to distort European Union policy in this regard.When I was in Brussels recently, three separate individuals came to me and asked what in God's name was Ireland up to in regard to its position on the Water Framework Directive which is now being discussed at Council. The British, who hold the Presidency of the Council, are anxious to move EU policy forward in this area, and the Irish - I'm told - are being totally obstructive and destructive. One of these individuals - in what I hope was merely colourful hyperbole - said we had become the "environmental headbutters of the EU".It is bad enough that we are choosing to mismanage our own water assets by forgoing the most important policy instrument available for this purpose. It is worse again when we try to export the Irish disease to the rest of the EU. And this is incredibly shortsighted. We will depend as never before on the good opinion of the Commission and its officials if we are to fulfil our hoped of continued funding for environmental and for other purposes after 1999. As reported in The Irish Times on February 3rd, the director of the Cohesion Fund, Mr JeanFrancois Verstrynge, implies that we are in danger of losing this crucial support as we persist with our headbutting policy.What is sad about all of this is that the Irish policy has been adopted by politicians of all parties not because they believe it is right - most do not - but because of fear of the public, fear of our reaction to any mention of the dreaded word "charges". We must recognise that there is a problem in this area, and that there are efficient and inefficient, fair and unfair, ways of implementing charges.The UCD Environmental Institute and the Foundation for Fiscal Studies have convened a one day seminar on the subject to be held on March 27th. A number of overseas speakers will complement local experts in a discussion of the issue and potentials, and how we might proceed. Anyone interested in knowing more should contact Sheenagh Rooney at 01-269-7988, 01-283-7009 (fax) or rooneys@macollamh.ucd.ie (email). - Yours, etc.,Frank J. Convery,Heritage Trust Professorof Environmental Studies,UCD,Dublin 4.