Ireland: Environmental Law

Ireland's Minister for Agriculture has published the draft General Scheme of the Deforestation and Forest Degradation Bill 2026, establishing the national enforcement framework for the EU Deforestation Regulation.

Ireland's Critical Infrastructure Act 2026 introduces a statutory framework to accelerate strategically important infrastructure projects through mandatory prioritisation by public bodies. Nine major projects spanning transport, water, and energy have been designated, raising questions about how accelerated delivery will be balanced against climate obligations. The legislation's disapplication of certain climate considerations has sparked debate about the intersection of infrastructure urgency and environme

The Irish Government has secured approval for revisions to the Heat (Networks and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill, legislation designed to accelerate district heating adoption across Ireland. Research indicates that waste heat from data centres and pharmaceutical plants could meet approximately 80% of Dublin's heat demand by 2050, potentially heating over 1 million homes through renewable and waste heat sources.

In Friends of the Irish Environment CLG v An Coimisiún Pleanála [2026] IEHC 205, Humphreys J dismissed a challenge to a decision of An Coimisiún Pleanála (Commission) to approve a 600 MW...

With the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (“CBAM”) now entering its operational period, the European Commission...

The Council of the European Union (the “Council”) has approved the amended European Climate Law (the “European Climate Law”) and published Regulation (EU) 2026/667 (the “Regulation”) in respect of the 2040 intermediate climate target. The European Climate Law, with direct effect in Ireland, was first adopted in 2021 and established the EU’s long-term climate policy framework in line with the Paris Agreement.

The CJEU held that Member States may require prior identification to ensure proper functioning of procedures.

On 28 January 2026, the Central Bank of Ireland (“Central Bank) published a consultation paper on prohibition notices under the fitness and probity (“F&P”) regime (“CP166”).

As noted in our December Horizon Scanner update, the European Commission proposed a suite of measures on 10 December 2025 to simplify environmental legislation.