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Environment

Soil Monitoring Law

The EU's Soil Monitoring Law protects and restores soils, ensuring that they are used sustainably.

Overview

Hands dropping soil into more soil on the ground
© Wirestock | Getty Images

Healthy soils are essential for agricultural productivity, plants’ pest resistance, and nutritional food quality and safety. They are critical to ensuring the long-term viability and profitability of the EU’s farming sector.

Unfortunately, soil degradation is an issue in every EU country, with 60 to 70% of soils in an unhealthy state.

That is why 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 Monitoring Law will 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 Soil Monitoring Law, which enters into force on 16 December 2025, aims to address key soil threats in the EU, such as:

  • Erosion
  • Loss of soil organic matter, salinisation, contamination, compaction and sealing
  • Loss of soil biodiversity

Law

The Directive looks at all aspects of soil degradation, from erosion and compaction to loss of organic soil carbon and soil biodiversity, as well as contamination and soil sealing.

It applies to all soils: in forests, agricultural land, urban areas, and others, providing a legal framework to help achieve healthy soils by 2050. It will do so by:

  • Requiring Member States to monitor and assess soil health
  • Supporting farmers and soil managers to help improve soil health and resilience
  • Putting in place a solution to the long-standing issue of contaminated sites in the EU
  • Improving knowledge about soil health and improving its resilience, contributing to the EU’s climate and biodiversity goals, as well as competitiveness and food security.  

Timeline

Previous and upcoming actions:

  1. 16 December 2031
    First reporting deadline

    Member States must submit their first report to the Commission on the implementation and assessment of soil health

  2. 16 December 2028
    National transposition deadline

    EU Member States must transpose the Directive's provisions into their national law

  3. 16 December 2025
    Soil Monitoring Law enters into force
  4. 23 October 2025
    Parliament approves final text
  5. 29 September 2025
    Council approves Soil Monitoring Law
  6. 10 April 2025
    Council and Parliament reach provisional agreement
  7. 5 July 2023
    Commission adopts proposal for Soil Monitoring Law
  8. 1 Aug-24 Oct 2022
    Public consultation on Soil Monitoring Law

    See public consultation

  9. 16 Feb-16 March 2022
    Call for evidence ahead of legal provisions mentioned in Soil Strategy

    See call for evidence

  11. 17 November 2021
    Commission adopts EU Soil Strategy for 2030

Related links

Contact

For questions about EU environmental policy, please contact Europe Direct.