The Council of the European Union has proposed making soil health monitoring obligatory for the member states. The General approach reached by the council today provides guiding principles for sustainable soil management and addresses situations where soil contamination poses unacceptable health and environmental risks.
The ultimate aspirational objective of the proposed directive is to have all soils in a healthy condition by 2050, in line with the EU Zero Pollution ambition.
A press release by the council said that over 60 % of soils in the EU are not in good condition. Under the guidelines, Member states will first monitor and then assess the health of all soils in their territory, so that sustainable soil management practices and other appropriate measures can be taken by authorities and landowners across the EU.
Member states will determine sampling points for monitoring, based on an EU common methodology. The general approach shares the Commission proposal’s ambition for the assessment of soil health, maintaining the concept of soil descriptors (physical, chemical and biological parameters).
To adapt to local circumstances, a more flexible double-value system was agreed in the Council to assess soil health which includes non-binding sustainable target values at the EU level to reflect the long-term objectives and operational trigger values, set at member states’ level for each soil descriptor, to prioritise and gradually implement measures leading to a healthy soil status.
“Humans and our ecosystems depend on soil as a source of food, clean water, and habitat. But it is a non-renewable resource that needs to be protected and restored. Today, we are taking an important step towards healthy soils in the EU by 2050,” said Alain Maron, minister of the Government of the Brussels-Capital Region, responsible for climate change, environment, energy and participatory democracy.
