Legislation to allow for the suspension of water charges for nine months passed the final stage in the Dáil yesterday.
Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Simon Coveney said a unique process had to be put in place to fund the consensus.
He said he had spent an hour and a half explaining the thinking behind the suspension to the European Commissioner and he expected to speak to him again on the phone.
The suspension of the charges is part of the Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil facilitation deal.
The deal agreed by both parties in May recommended that Irish Water be retained and an external advisory board be set up on a statutory basis to look at its operations.
It proposed suspending the water conservation grant and restoring funding to group water schemes based on pre-2015 levels.
