Overview
Healthy soils are essential for achieving climate neutrality, a clean and circular economy and stopping desertification and land degradation. They are also essential to reverse biodiversity loss, provide healthy food and safeguard human health.
The EU soil strategy for 2030 provides the framework and concrete steps towards protecting and restoring soils, and ensuring that they are used sustainably. As part of this, a new Soil Health Law by 2023 has been announced to ensure a level playing field and a high level of environmental and health protection.
It is a key deliverable of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and will contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal.
Objectives
The new law aims to help achieve healthy soils by 2050, with concrete actions by 2030. It will do so by identifying the key soil threats in the EU, such as erosion, floods and landslides, loss of soil organic matter, salinisation, contamination, compaction, sealing, as well as loss of soil biodiversity.
Timeline
Previous and upcoming actions:
- 2023Commission to adopt proposal for a Soil Health Law
- 1 August - 24 October 2022Public consultation on the possible Soil Health Law
- 16 February - 16 March 2022Call for evidence ahead of upcoming possible legal provisions mentioned in the Soil Strategy
- 17 November 2021Commission adopts EU Soil Strategy for 2030
Related links
Related Strategies:
EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives
Circular Economy Action Plan
EU Nature restoration law
Zero Pollution Action Plan for Air, Water and Soil
Related Laws:
Environmental Liability Directive
Industrial Emissions Directive
Environmental Impact Assessment Directive
Sewage Sludge Directive
Regulation on fertilisers
Mercury Regulation
Land use, land use change and forestry Regulation (LULUCF)
Common Agriculture Policy (CAP)