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Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive: EU legislators reach agreement

Apr 10, 2025 , , , , , ,
soil, tilling, farmer
Soil-tilling farmer. Photo by PublicDomainImages on Pixabay

Brussels, 10 April 2025

The Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission’s proposal for a Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive. The Soil Monitoring Law will put the EU on a pathway to healthy soils for the benefit of citizens, farmers, land managers and the environment.

This is an important step to address the pressing challenges on soil health that impact every European country, the resilience of our food chain and the wider economy. The new law will also help to enhance the resilience of soils to natural disasters, heatwaves and extreme weather events, as well as other critical environmental challenges, such as erosion, contamination, and biodiversity loss.

The primary objective of the new directive is to introduce a framework to monitor soil health across the EU that is pragmatic and flexible, and based on national soil monitoring systems. Given the complexity of soil, the directive leaves a lot of flexibility to the Member States to adapt their approach to local soil conditions.

In line with the simplification agenda, the stepwise and pragmatic approach of the directive will keep the burden for Member States low. The agreement also extended most deadlines for the stepwise implementation of the directive proposed by the Commission. Furthermore, those Member States in need will be able to get the assistance of the Commission to undertake soil sampling, testing and archiving. The directive will also not impose obligations on monitoring or improving soil health and resilience on landowners and land managers, including farmers.

Specific measures to guarantee healthier soils

The agreement reached today provides for the following key measures to be taken by the Member States:

  • Establish a comprehensive and harmonised, yet flexible, soil health monitoring framework with criteria for healthy soil;
  • Provide support to soil managers to improve soil health and resilience;
  • Mitigate the impacts of land take, such as buildings and infrastructures, on soil’s capacity to provide other ecosystem services while not preventing the permitting of such activities;
  • Identify potentially contaminated sites and manage them to eliminate risks for human health and the environment while respecting the ‘polluter pays’ principle.
Next steps

The European Parliament and the Council will now formally have to adopt the new Directive before it can enter into force. It will then enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU, after which Member States will be required to put in place the national framework within 3 years for the directive to operate.

Background

The Commission adopted its proposal for the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive on 5 July 2023. The Directive is a key element of the European Green Deal, the Soil Strategy, the Biodiversity Strategy and the Zero Pollution Action Plan.

Soil degradation and contamination pose significant risks to food security and safety, biodiversity, resilience to climate and extreme weather events. Currently 60 to 70% of soils in the EU are in unhealthy state. As an example, a billion tonnes of soil are washed away every year due to erosion, resulting in an estimated annual agricultural productivity loss of €1,25 billion. Costs associated with soil degradation are estimated at over €50 billion per year.

Making soil data available will support innovation, technological and organisational solutions, notably in farming practices. It will help farmers and other landowners implement the most appropriate treatment methods and help them increase soil fertility and yields, while minimising water and nutrient consumption. In addition, this data will improve our understanding of trends on droughts, water retention and erosion, strengthening disaster prevention and management. Healthy soils and better data provide additional income opportunities for farmers and land managers, who can be rewarded for carbon farming, receive payments for ecosystem services or for increasing the value of healthy soils and food produced on them.

More information
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The agreement marks an important step in addressing the risks that the EU faces due to soil degradation for our food security, mitigating the impacts of climate change and socio-economic prosperity in all our regions and cities alike. The law will particularly benefit our farmers and soil managers by providing them with support and better knowledge of soil conditions, while not imposing obligations on them. We will continue to work with Member States, farmers, foresters and other soil managers to mobilise the necessary support and engagement to safeguard this fundamental resource for future generations.

Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy

 

EU Council background on soil monitoring deal

Brussels, 10 April 2025

Today, the Council reached a provisional deal with the European Parliament on a directive establishing a framework for soil monitoring to improve resilience and manage the risks of contaminated sites. The directive will also set out land-take mitigation principles with a focus on soil sealing and soil removal.

Healthy soils are the foundation for 95% of the food we eat, host more than 25% of the biodiversity in the world and are the largest terrestrial carbon pool on the planet. Yet, soil is a limited resource and over 60% of soils in the EU are not in a good condition.

The provisional agreement maintains the aspirational, non-binding goal to achieve healthy soils by 2050. The agreement still needs to be confirmed by both institutions.

With the agreement reached today, we established the first-ever EU framework on assessing and monitoring soils across Europe. It is high time for action as over 60% of European soils are unhealthy and getting worse. Healthy and resilient soil is key to ensuring safe and nutritious food and cleaner water for the generations to come.

Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Polish Minister for Climate and Environment

Comprehensive monitoring framework

Member states, supported by the Commission, will first monitor and then assess the health of all soils on their territory, so that authorities across the EU can provide appropriate support to prevent and tackle soil degradation.

Both the Council and the Parliament concurred on the need to achieve a solid and coherent monitoring framework with comparable data. They agreed that member states will determine sampling points for monitoring, on the basis of an EU common methodology. First steps towards monitoring of PFAS and pesticides were agreed by the co-legislators.

Assessment of soil health

The provisional deal maintains the concept of common soil descriptors (physical, chemical and biological parameters), as reflected in the general approach and the Commission’s initial proposal.

It also introduces classes to describe soil health that would be based on the target and trigger values established in the Council’s general approach:

  • non-binding sustainable target values at EU level to reflect the long-term objectives
  • operational trigger values, set at member state level for each soil descriptor in order to prioritise and gradually implement provisions leading to a healthy soil status
Land take mitigation

The new directive will set out mitigation principles on land take, with a focus on its most visible aspects: soil sealing and soil removal. These principles will be taken into account by member states, while national decisions on spatial planning will be respected including on housing, mining, sustainable agriculture and the energy transition.

Next steps

The provisional agreement will now have to be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament. It will then be formally adopted by both institutions following legal-linguistic revision.

Background

According to the EU soil strategy, presented by the Commission in 2021, the lack of dedicated EU legislation was singled out as a major cause for the alarming state of EU soils. To ensure the same level of protection for soil that exists for water, the marine environment and air in the EU, the Commission put forward the soil monitoring directive on 5 July 2023.

The ultimate aspirational objective of this directive is to have all soils in a healthy condition by 2050, in line with the EU Zero Pollution ambition. The directive will also contribute to the achievement of the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

 

EU Parliament Background on soil monitoring deal

Brussels, 10 April 2025

  • Overall objective to achieve healthy European soils by 2050
  • Public list of potentially contaminated soils in all EU countries
  • Simplification for member states and no new obligations for farmers or foresters
  • Around 60 to 70% of EU soils are estimated to be unhealthy

The informal agreement between EU co-legislators will ensure soil is monitored in all EU countries and farmers get better support to improve soil health.

On Wednesday evening, Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional political agreement on the Commission’s proposal for a soil monitoring law. The overall objective is to have healthy European soils by 2050, in line with the EU’s “zero pollution” ambition. It should also provide for a more coherent and harmonised EU framework for soil monitoring.

Monitoring and assessing EU soils

According to the deal, member states will have to monitor and assess soil health across their territories using common soil descriptors – characterising the physical, chemical, and biological aspect of soil health for each soil type – and an EU methodology for sampling points. To make it simpler for member states, they will be free to build on national soil monitoring campaigns or other equivalent methodologies. The Commission will support member states by reinforcing its current EU soil sampling programme, LUCAS Soils. It will offer tailor-made financial and technical support.

To reflect different levels of soil degradation and local conditions, national governments will set non-binding, sustainable, targets for each soil descriptor, in line with the overall objective of improving soil health.

No new obligations for farmers

To protect farmers and foresters, the agreed directive does not impose any new obligations on landowners or land managers. Instead, it obliges EU countries to help them improve soil health and soil resilience – the soil’s capacity to keep playing its important role in the ecosystem. Support measures may include independent advice, training activities, and capacity building, as well as the promotion of research and innovation, and measures to raise awareness of the benefits of soil resilience. Member states will also have to assess regularly the financial cost to farmers and foresters’ of improving soil health and soil resilience.

Contaminated soils

The law will require member states to draw up a public list of potentially contaminated sites within ten years of its entry into force and address any unacceptable risks to human health and the environment.

Finally, an indicative watch list of emerging substances that could pose a significant risk to soil health, human health or the environment, and for which data is needed, will be drawn up 18 months after the law enters into force. This list will include relevant PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”) and pesticides.

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On reaching the agreement, rapporteur Martin Hojsík (Renew, SK) said: “Today’s deal is an important milestone in improving support for farmers and all others in keeping the soil healthy. Providing them with better information and help, while preventing bureaucracy and new obligations, are cornerstones of the new soil monitoring law.”

Next steps

Parliament and the Council have concluded an “early second reading agreement” (the negotiation took place after Parliament’s first reading was adopted in plenary). The Council is now expected to adopt this agreement formally, and Parliament will then have to endorse the text in plenary, in second reading.

The directive will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal. From this date, EU countries will have three years to comply.

Background

An estimated 60 to 70% of European soils are unhealthy due to urbanisation, low land recycling rates, intensification of agriculture practices, and climate change. Degraded soils are major drivers of the climate and biodiversity crises, and they reduce the provision of key ecosystem services. This costs the EU at least €50 billion per year, according to the Commission.

Further information

 

Renew Europe welcomes landmark deal on Soil Monitoring Law: a win for farmers

Brussels, 10 April 2025

The Renew Europe Group welcomes the political agreement reached last night between the European Parliament and the Council on the EU Soil Monitoring Law – a crucial step toward achieving healthy soils across the EU by 2050.

This new framework will, for the first time, ensure soil health is monitored across the EU using harmonised indicators, while providing tailored support to farmers and land managers without imposing any new burdens. To protect farmers and foresters, the agreed directive obliges EU countries to support them in improving the ability of soil to preserve its functions and to maintain its capacity to provide ecosystem services (soil resilience), including through access to independent advice, training activities and capacity building, as well as in promoting research and innovation and awareness on the benefits of soil resilience. They will also have to regularly assess the financial needs.

The agreement also includes the establishment of a public list of potentially contaminated sites and a new EU watch list for emerging substances such as PFAS and pesticides.

MEP Martin Hojsík (Progressive Slovakia), Renew Europe’s negotiator and Parliament rapporteur, said:

“This is a historic step forward. Healthy soils are essential for clean water, climate resilience, and biodiversity, and we can no longer afford to ignore their degradation. This deal strikes the right balance – it gives us the tools to understand and restore soil health across Europe, while protecting farmers from new obligations and ensuring they are supported in this transition. With this law, we finally give soil the attention it deserves.”

“Today’s deal is an important milestone in improving support for farmers and all others in keeping the soil healthy. Providing them with better information and help, while preventing bureaucracy and new obligations, are cornerstones of the Soil Monitoring Law.”

Renew Europe has consistently pushed for a strong, science-based EU framework to tackle soil degradation, while ensuring simplification for Member States and the safeguarding of farmers’ livelihoods.

Source – Renew Europe Group

 

CDU/CSU-Gruppe zur Trilogeinigung bei der Bodenüberwachungs-Richtlinie

In der Nacht haben sich die Unterhändler des Europäischen Parlaments und der polnischen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft im Trilog auf die neue EU-Bodenüberwachungs-Richtlinie geeinigt. Dazu erklärt Oliver Schenk (CDU), Berichterstatter der EVP-Fraktion:

“In den Verhandlungen zur neuen Boden-Monitoring-Richtlinie ist es gelungen, neue Belastungen für Landwirtschaft und Industrie abzuwenden. Die ursprünglich vorgesehenen umfassenden Verpflichtungen und Maßnahmen zur Bodenbewirtschaftung werden nicht kommen. Unser größtes Anliegen war neue Regularien und potenzielle Auswirkungen auf Schlüsselbranchen wie Landwirtschaft, Bergbau und Chemie zu vermeiden. Die im Vorfeld geäußerten Sorgen wurden in den Verhandlungen umfassend berücksichtigt.

Der Vorschlag der Kommission wurde deutlich entschärft und zu einem reinen Monitoring-Ansatz umgestaltet. Unnötige regulatorische Verpflichtungen wurden gestrichen. Dazu zählen: volle Flexibilität für die Mitgliedstaaten bei der Nutzung ihrer bereits bestehenden Bodenüberwachungssysteme; keine EU-weiten Grenzwerte und keine zusätzlichen Verpflichtungen oder Kosten für Landbesitzer oder -verwalter. Sanktionen wurden vollständig gestrichen. Zudem stellt der neue Text sicher, dass die Richtlinie nicht in die nationalen Genehmigungs- oder Raumplanungsbefugnisse eingreift. Das ist insbesondere für den Bergbau von besonderer Bedeutung.

Selbstverständlich stehen wir zum Ziel eines wirksamen Bodenschutzes. Aber kein bürokratischer Rahmen kann das Verantwortungsbewusstsein unserer Landwirte ersetzen. Sie wissen besser als jede Verordnung, wie wichtig gesunde Böden sind – für Umwelt, Ertrag und kommende Generationen. Eine gesunde Umwelt ist die Grundlage für wirtschaftliche Stabilität und gesellschaftliches Wohlergehen. Viele Mitgliedstaaten verfügen seit Jahrzehnten über bewährte und wirksame Bodenschutzgesetze. Diese gewachsenen Strukturen gilt es zu stärken und nicht mit neuen europäischen Vorgaben auszuhöhlen. Wir können nicht glaubwürdig Bürokratieabbau fordern und gleichzeitig neue Belastungen einführen – insbesondere nicht auf dem Rücken der Landwirtschaft.”

Quelle – CDU/CSU-Gruppe im EU-Parlament

 

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