On 5 July 2023, the European Commission adopted the proposal for a Soil Monitoring Law, reaching an important milestone after the adoption of the EU Soil Strategy in 2021.
The new Soil Monitoring Law provides a legal framework to help achieve healthy soils by 2050 with three main actions:
- putting in place a solid and coherent monitoring framework for all soils across the EU
- making sustainable soil management the norm in the EU and banning harmful practices
- requesting Member States to identify potentially contaminated sites and address risks for human health and the environment
The EUSO has been an important hub of expertise in supporting soil-related policy-making, and recently published the EUSO Soil Health Dashboard, giving a detailed overview on EU soils’ state.