MEPs on the European Parliament’s environment committee have pushed for a soil monitoring law and for member states to improve degraded soils to “moderate ecological status” within six years.
The Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted amendments to the European Commission’s proposal for a soil monitoring law by 42 votes to 26, and 14 abstentions.
The proposed law aims to have all soils in the EU in “healthy condition” by 2050, and requires all member states to monitor all soils within so called “soil districts”.
The text will now be put to a vote at an upcoming plenary session scheduled for Thursday, April 11, and will constitute the European Parliament’s position at the first reading.
Soil monitoring law
MEPs on the committee want EU countries to be able to “choose” among three different tiers for soil monitoring design with different soil descriptors and soil health criteria.
“Tier 1” should provide a “minimum” set of soil descriptors, MEPs said. These soil descriptors, among others, are in relation to soil erosion, soil organic carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen.
This approach would increase the number of soil descriptors assessed but also member states’ autonomy to determine the thresholds for the ecological status of soils, MEPs said.
“Soil ecological status” means the ecological quality of a soil evaluated according to the soil’s diversity, biological and functional activity, habitat, and the presence of “degradation factors”.
Degradation factors, as adopted by MEPs on the environment committee, include soil erosion, soil contamination, excess nutrient content in soil, salinisation, and soil compaction.
Environment MEPs want member states to ensure that the soil ecological status in soil districts, in which soil samples are taken, is improved as follows:
- From critically degraded soils to degraded soils within 10 years;
- From degraded soils to moderate ecological status and from moderate ecological status to good ecological status within six years.
The amendments adopted by the MEPs state that member states are required to put in place measures that are “technically feasible” and “based on a cost-benefit analysis”.
Soil health classification
A soil is considered “healthy” in accordance with the Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience where the soil is classified either with “good” or “high” ecological status, MEPs said.
The adopted amendments state that the ecological status of soils should be determined according to the following classification:
- “High soil ecological status” – soils with high biological and functional activity;
- “Good ecological status” – soils in an overall good ecological status but that show evidence of slight adverse impacts from one or multiple degradation factors;
- “Moderate ecological status” – soils with evidence of slight adverse impacts from degradation factors;
- “Degraded soils” – soils with clear evidence of adverse impacts from one degradation factor; and
- “Critically degraded soils” – soils with clear evidence of adverse impacts from more than one degradation factor.
This directive is “binding” as to the result to be achieved in member states, while leaving national authorities the “power” to choose the form and methods to achieve the result, MEPs said.
“The proposed instrument of a directive leaves much flexibility to the member states to identify the best measures for them and to adapt the approach to local conditions.
“This is crucial to take account of the regional and local specificities as regards soil variability, land use, climatological conditions, and socio-economic aspects.
“The nature of the instrument implies that principles laid down in this directive do not entail direct obligations on individuals,” according to the amendments adopted by the MEPs.