The state of Europe’s soil is often overlooked in the battle against climate change and ecosystem destruction, and in efforts to limit flooding and ensure food security. The EU has agreed to restore its heavily degraded land by 2050, but environmentalists are worried by the lack of binding targets.
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After nearly two years of negotiation, MEPs and European governments have agreed the text of a new Soil Monitoring Law, requiring governments to put in place robust data collection systems and consider restricting practices that lead to degradation.
The past year has seen widespread protests against EU environmental policy supported by large farming lobbies and conservative lawmakers in Brussels. These have already led to the withdrawal of plans to slash pesticide use as lawmakers sought to limit the direct impact on farmers.
“Today’s deal is an important milestone in improving support for farmers and all others in keeping the soil healthy,” liberal MEP Martin Hojsik (Slovakia/Renew) said after the provisional agreement was reached in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“Providing them with better information and help, while preventing bureaucracy and new obligations, are cornerstones of the new soil monitoring law.” Hojsik said.
Environmental groups – who had been calling for legally binding targets on key indicators such as contaminant levels, nutrient depletion and biodiversity loss – appeared relieved that a deal was struck at all in the current political climate.
Caroline Heinzel, a policy officer at the European Environmental Bureau said it was “encouraging” that lawmakers had reached an agreement in the face of what she described as “disinformation” and a pushback against environmental policy, but suggested the new law was unfit for purpose.
“Europe’s first-ever soil law will merely act to monitor continued soil degradation rather than reverse it, a concerning conclusion for farmer livelihoods, nature, and climate,” said Heinzel.
Kristine De Schamphelaere at Pesticide Action Network Europe slammed lawmakers for an “appalling” lack of ambition. “Pesticides and other soil pollutants should not only be thoroughly monitored, but urgently and ambitiously reduced,” she said.
The European Commission noted the final text extended several deadlines in its original proposal, leading to a “pragmatic and flexible” framework that was in line with its “simplification” drive – an agenda that many critics say amounts to root-and-branch deregulation.
“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,” environment commissioner Jessika Roswall said.