The European Commission (EC) has opened an infringement procedure against Ireland over the mica crisis and crumbling houses
The accusation comes as the mica crisis sees thousands of Irish homes crumble over the past few years.
The phenomenom is known as the mica crisis, in spite of pyrite now being the mineral suspected of causing the issue.
The blocks used in these homes are not suitable
Mica and pyrite are both found in the concrete blocks used to build houses, however, too high a content of these can cause structural issues.
One of the key issues is that of water retention. Mica absorbs water and retains it well, which causes issues in colder weather when the water freezes and thaws, and damages the block.
However, new research suggests that in the case of County Mayo, pyrite was the culprit, having brought up evidence of the elevated sulfate content associated with high pyrite content.
The minerals cause issues that cause blocks to crack, bulge, and ultimately fall apart, causing homes to crumble. It is estimated that around 20,000 homes are affected across Ireland.
The EC has opened infringement procedures regarding the mica crisis
The EC has written an infringement letter saying that Ireland has failed to adhere to Construction Products Regulation, meaning they failed to monitor the blocks being used to EC standards.
The letter reads: “The Construction Products Regulation requires authorities to monitor the manufacturing and placing on the market of construction products before they are used. According to the Commission’s findings, the Irish authorities limited their monitoring activities to finished buildings or finalised civil engineering projects. The limitation of market surveillance activities to on-site measures endangers the free circulation of safe construction products in the Union.
“Due to defective construction products, several thousand houses in Ireland suffered very serious damage. The Commission is therefore sending a letter of formal notice to Ireland, which now has two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.”
A reasoned opinion is a formal request to comply with the EU regulation in question, and if the country still fails to comply, may go to the Court of Justice.
