Written question – Ireland’s compliance with the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) and EU standards to protect the environment – P-002280/2025

Priority question for written answer  P-002280/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Michael McNamara (Renew)

The Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC)[1] requires the Member States to ensure the adequate collection and treatment of wastewater in all agglomerations. Despite this, 16 towns and villages in Ireland were discharging raw sewage in 2024 and 10 Irish towns and cities had wastewater treatment facilities that breached the standards required by the directive. Furthermore, 547 settlements in Ireland are unsewered, many of which are coastal summer holiday destinations whose average weekly loading exceeds 2 000 population equivalent (PE) during the summer months.

• 1.Has the Commission received any compliance data from Ireland in respect of any of the 547 unsewered settlements, some of which have an average weekly loading in excess of 2 000 PE during the summer months?
• 2.Given that the statutory body responsible for wastewater networks and treatment in Ireland, Uisce Éireann, does not assess locations that do not have existing sewerage networks or treatment facilities, and is instead focused on upgrading existing sewerage networks and treatment facilities, who does the Commission consider responsible for the assessment of sub-threshold agglomerations where the PE varies greatly during the summer season?
• 3.What measures are under consideration by the Commission to address the ongoing environmental and public health risk from unsewered settlements in Ireland which have an average weekly loading in excess of 2 000 PE during the summer months?

Submitted: 5.6.2025

• [1] Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste-water treatment (OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dir/1991/271/oj).