Ireland wins EU court battle on planning fees

The European court of justice has cleared Ireland in a dispute with the European commission over the charging of a €20 fee for commenting on planning applications and objecting to them.  Endorsing an advisory opinion issued earlier this year (EED 22/06/06), the court ruled that the commission’s claim that the fee breached EU environmental impact assessment rules was "without foundation".  The fee is a matter of national law, judges argued.  See case C-216/05, and reactions from Irish environment ministry and FIE.