The Government faces a potentially embarrassing judgment by the European Court of Justice during Ireland's EU presidency over its failure to control the spread of illegal dumps here.
The case, which was brought by the European Commission under its waste management directives, has been before the court for two years and is due to be ruled on shortly.
"It's quite possible that the judgment will be issued within the next six months," one senior official of the Commission told a press briefing in Brussels for environmental journalists.
The European Court has taken a tough line on waste management, sometimes imposing severe sanctions. Greece, for example, had to pay massive daily fines after it lost a case.
The latest case concerns the alleged inadequacy of Ireland's "administrative response" to illegal waste disposal activities and, in particular, the failure of local authorities to enforce the law.
It was initiated by the Commission in advance of the discovery two years ago of a number of illegal dumps in Co Wicklow, some of which were found to contain hospital waste.
As a result, their existence could not be cited as further evidence to back up the Commission's case, although they are the subject of separate legal proceedings against Ireland.
New policy initiatives on waste in the context of resource management in general are to be the theme of an informal meeting of EU environment ministers in Dublin next May.
"Ireland is coming from behind in dealing with environmental issues," said a senior Commission official, "and this focus on waste should help domestically in dealing with the issue." The Commission is said to be "quite favourably impressed" by current official attitudes.
