A Rubik's Cube Dilemma? The Implementation of European Union Waste-Management Policy in Ireland

Abstract

Ireland's engagement with European Union (EU) waste-management policy has been characterized by low issue salience and an ambiguous response from the public administration system which tolerated weak regulation despite the introduction of the waste framework directive in 1975. Ireland's serial non-compliance with EU legislation eventually culminated in a significant 2005 judgement from the Court of Justice of the EU in Case 494/01 which referred to a systematic failure in the application of waste rules. This forced the Irish authorities to address the fragmented nature of waste-management implementation and adopt a more effective and coordinated enforcement system. Against this backdrop Ireland's efforts to translate EU environmental directives into action are explored through the case of the Landfill Directive 99/31/EC. Top-down and bottom-up perspectives from implementation theory are used to interpret how public administration has adapted to the challenges of formal and practical implementation. This is complemented by empirical findings drawn from a survey and interviews with officials and waste-management stakeholders. It is argued that while Ireland's performance in waste management has improved, its progress to meet the targets of the directive has been frustrated by the structural shortcomings in the design of an appropriate implementation structure.