IRISH ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATION

These Regulations give effect to Directive 2012/33/EU which amends Council Directive1999/32/EC as regards the sulphur content of marine fuels. Directive 2012/33/EU aligns EU legislation with, and, in some areas, goes beyond, the regime concerning the prevention of air pollution from ships set out in the 2008 revised Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention with regard to the sulphur content of marine fuels for use on board ships. The revised Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention was given effect in Irish law by the Sea Pollution (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) Regulations 2010 ( S.I. No. 313 of 2010 ). These Regulations provide, inter alia, for: domestic and foreign passenger ships operating on regular services to, or from, a port in the State, or, Irish passenger ships operating on regular services to, or from, a port in another EU Member State, to use marine fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 1.5% by mass until 31 December 2019 (despite the requirement in Regulation 13(1) of S.I. No. 313 of 2010 for ships to use marine fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 3.5% by mass until such time), after which the requirement to use marine fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.50% by mass is to apply, as also set out in Regulation 13(1)(c) of S.I. No. 313 of 2010 ; unless such ships are operating within an Emission Control Area (as set out in Regulation 13(2) of S.I. No. 313 of 2010 , as amended), in which case the requirement to use marine fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.10% by mass is to apply, as also set out in Regulation 13(3)(c) of S.I. No. 313 of 2010 ; a requirement for domestic and foreign ships at berth in a port in the State, or, Irish ships at berth in a port in another EU Member State, to use marine fuel with a sulphur content no exceeding 0.10% by mass, unless such ships are berthed for less than two hours according to published timetables, or, are using shore-side electricity; a prohibition against the placing on the market of different specified types of marine fuel which exceed stated sulphur content limits by mass; the introduction of a compulsory system for the sampling and analysis of marine fuel for combustion purposes on board ships; the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland to maintain a publicly available register of suppliers of marine fuel; criteria for the use of ship emission abatement methods that continuously achieve reductions of sulphur dioxide emissions that are at least equivalent to the reductions that would be achieved by using marine fuels that meet the requirements of these Regulations or Regulation 13 of the Sea Pollution (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) Regulations 2010 ( S.I. No. 313 of 2010 ); criteria for applying for Ministerial approval to conduct trials of new ship emission abatement methods; and amendments to the Sea Pollution (Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships) Regulations 2010 ( S.I. No. 313 of 2010 ). These Regulations apply to all ships when they are in the inland waters, territorial seas, or exclusive economic zone of the State and, unless otherwise stated, to Irish ships everywhere.

Commission Directive 2014/93/EU updates the principal Directive 96/98/EC on marine equipment by substituting a new Annex A that sets out the marine equipment to be placed on board ships and the testing standards that apply under the international maritime conventions of the International Maritime Organisation for MARPOL (prevention of pollution), SOLAS (safety at sea), Load Lines and the Collision Regulations. These Regulations amended the European Union (Marine Equipment) Regulations 2014 ( SI No. 540 of 2014 ). They transpose Directive 2014/93/EU with effect from 14 August 2015 and provide that transitional arrangements apply until 14 August 2017 in respect of certain marine equipment that was manufactured before 14 August 2015

This Order brings into effect specified provisions of the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015 .

S.I. No. 356/2015 - Flora (Protection) Order, 2015.

These Regulations amend the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011 to update the definitions of the Birds Directive (2009/147/EC) and the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) to reflect the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. Furthermore these Regulations correct typographical errors in the 2011 Regulations and provide other provisions to assist Ireland’s management of its obligations under the Birds and Habitats Directives, including in relation to Invasive Alien Species, An Garda Síochána and the Commission for Energy Regulation. These Regulations also correct a typographical error in the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) (Restrictions on the use of Poison Bait) Regulations 2010.

These Regulations amend the European Union (Batteries and Accumulators) Regulations 2014 ( S.I. No. 283 of 2014 ) and are designed to give effect to Directive 2013/56/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators. The 2013 Directive amends the 2006 Directive (2006/66/EC) by removing certain exemptions from the prohibitions in the 2006 Directive on the placing on the market of batteries containing 0.0005% of mercury by weight and of a battery containing more than 0.002% of cadmium by weight intended for use in cordless power tools. This reflects the fact that cleaner, safer cadmium and mercury free substitutes are available on the market.

S.I. No. 320/2015 - European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats)(No. 2) Regulations 2015.

S.I. No. 301/2015 - European Union (Environmental Impact Assessment and Habitats) Regulations 2015.