The European Commission has formally approved Ireland's national emission trading plan, which is designed to reduce industrial emissions of carbon dioxide.
The executive accepted Ireland's plan unconditionally despite the initial proposal being criticised by the deputy head of the Commission's climate change unit, Mr Peter Vis, who said the State "could have gone further".
The initial proposal was submitted at the end of March, but officials have confirmed the Government and the Commission agreed changes to the proposals since then. Ireland has been granted an allowance of 67 million tonnes of carbon dioxide which can be allocated to 143 energy intensive plants in the State.
The trading plans of Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Sweden were also accepted unconditionally but the Commission partially rejected those of Austria, Germany and Britain.
Commission spokeswoman Ms Ewa Hedlund said the countries that did not get full approval were told what was required to receive the go-ahead. "If they fulfil what we ask them to do, they can go ahead," she said.
Seven national plans have not yet been submitted. Those states could face legal action from the Commission.
National allocation plans outline the amount of carbon dioxide emission allowances that Member States intend to allocate to energy-intensive industrial plants, so they can participate in emissions trading from January 2005. The scheme is part of the EU's efforts to meet its commitments under the Kyoto protocol.
Additional reporting: Agencies