The European Commission is threatening to take Ireland to the Court of Justice for infringing EU legislation on the transport of dangerous goods by road and rail.
The Commission said Ireland, along with Italy and Greece, had failed to provide information about measures to ensure the safety of transporting dangerous goods.
The court has convicted the State twice for failing to implement EU directives on road transport.
Because there has been no "visible progress" since last year, the Commission sent a formal notice to the Government concerning non-fulfilment of the court rulings.
The dangerous goods in the directives refer to everything from explosives and radioactive materials to toxic substances.
The Government expects to comply with the directive on rail transport within the next two months. But regulations on transporting dangerous goods by road will not be ready until the end of this year.
The Commission initiated infringement proceedings against the State yesterday for failing to provide information about maritime safety laws. The case refers to the Government's failure to introduce measures to survey safety on ferries.
The Transport Commissioner, Ms Loyola de Palacio, said the EU had decided to make maritime safety a priority.
