The European Commission has said it will pursue legal action against Ireland for breaches of environmental law in nine cases.
In a statement, the commission said the cases related to insufficient protection of Ireland's rich bio-diversity.
It went on to say that Ireland had failed to deal adequately with unlawful and environmentally damaging waste operations.
It also said Ireland failed to properly implement other EU laws aimed at providing EU citizens with a healthy environment.
Reacting to the statement, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government Martin Cullen said it was important to put the report in context.
Mr Cullen said that Ireland had a compliance rate of 98.8% with EU directives, making it the fourth best country in the EU for compliance.
Speaking on RTÉ News, Mr Cullen said that the Government was using every means at its disposal to stop waste being disposed of illegally and was co-operating in this area with the authorities in the North.
Mr Cullen also said that Ireland was now 84% compliant with the EU’s directives on water, and said that huge efforts have been made to reduce over-grazing.
Mr Cullen said that progress was there for all to see and it was time to complement Irish people for their tremendous efforts to protect the environment.
