John Gibbons: ‘Green’ Ireland’s eco-hypocrisy called out by Europe

The demonising of environmental defenders and the undermining of the law on environmental protection has been denounced by a senior EU Commission official

Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea: the senior EU Commission official observed that Ireland ‘continues to be the most expensive member state in which to make an environmental claim before the courts’.

A high-ranking EU Commission official recently denounced a member state for its “increasingly aggressive stance” against environmental campaigners, and its “worrying” undermining of the rule of law on environmental protection.

You might be forgiven for presuming that Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea, whose role involves overseeing governance, enforcement action and compliance on EU environmental legislation, was discussing one of the block’s more authoritarian members, like Hungary for example.

But in fact, the comments were directed squarely at Ireland, ...