Soil Monitoring and Resilience (Soil Monitoring Directive)

The European Parliament adopted a legislative resolution approving the Council's position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on soil monitoring and resilience (Soil Monitoring Law).

The overall objective of the proposed directive is to put the EU on the path to healthy soils by 2050 by establishing measures for harmonised EU-wide monitoring, building on national systems, and for assessment and support of soil health and soil resilience, as well as for addressing contaminated sites.

Soil health monitoring

The Council's position builds on the Commission's proposal by establishing common analytical and sampling methodologies, a common list of soil health descriptors, and criteria for healthy soils. It requires monitoring of certain important aspects of soil health, such as soil biodiversity and soil contaminants, including PFAS, pesticides, and their metabolites. Member States are allowed to limit the number of points selected for monitoring soil contaminants and the soil biodiversity descriptor.

Soil health assessment

The text sets non-binding sustainability targets, reflecting the directive's ambitious long-term goal of healthy soils by 2050, as well as operational trigger values to determine when Member State support is needed, all of which will be established by Member States.

Support for soil health and soil resilience

The Council's position provides support for landowners and land managers to encourage and assist them in improving soil health and resilience.

Mitigation of land take

The Council's position focuses on monitoring its most visible aspects, namely soil sealing and soil removal, and establishes certain principles to mitigate the consequences of these two phenomena.

Management of contaminated sites

This is based on a risk-based, phased approach. Decisions on the management of contaminated sites, including the risk-based phased approach, should be made based on the nature and extent of potential risks to human health, including exposure to contaminants of vulnerable populations such as pregnant women, people with disabilities, the elderly and children, and to the environment.

Support from the Commission

The Commission should provide support, assistance and capacity building to Member States. It will be responsible for providing support to Member States, within very short deadlines, to transpose and implement numerous provisions of the Directive by providing non-binding documents and scientific tools.