Battle to shut Sellafield not over, says Roche

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche has promised to continue to fight for the closure of Sellafield despite the legal setback at the European Court of Justice.

While he expressed disappointment at the findings of the court's adviser, Mr Roche said: "The outcomes of the legal action to date have already yielded new and improved methods of information exchange and for co-operation between Ireland and the UK, and these remain in place.

"For this reason, the Government has pursued and will continue to pursue every diplomatic and legal option open to it . . . in pursuit of our long-standing policy to secure the safe and orderly closure of the plant".

The Minister added that the Attorney General was studying the opinion of the advocate general ahead of a final ruling by the European court later this year. "It is our duty and our obligation to the people of Ireland to pursue these avenues, even if the outcome may be uncertain," Mr Roche said.

However, some opposition politicians criticised the Minister for the strategy he had adopted with Fine Gael MEP Gay Mitchell suggesting that a more co-operative approach with Britain would be more effective.

Describing the Government's legal challenge against its British counterparts as an expensive public relations stunt, Mr Mitchell said: "Instead of taking legal action, the Government should . . . seek to set up a bilateral Irish-UK agency to oversee environmental and safety issues relating to Sellafield.

"The European Court of Justice has made it clear that the Irish Government took the wrong legal route against Sellafield. Although the Government is right to seek the closure of Sellafield, the approach taken by the Government was little more than a sham and has cost the taxpayer a lot of money."

Labour MEP Proinsias De Rossa said it was regrettable that the Government did not simultaneously initiate legal action against Britain in the European Court while pursuing its case under international maritime law. This arguably would have been a stronger hand to play, he added.

Green Party environment spokesman Ciarán Cuffe said Mr Roche should now investigate all other options, adding: "It seems that we are going back to square one in Ireland's fight against Sellafield.

"It has taken us four years to get this far, but it now looks like Ireland will have to start all over again," he added.

Sinn Féin MEP Bairbre de Brún said, despite the legal setback, the Government should relentlessly pursue the British government and Sellafield operators BNFL.