It is time for soil, a multifunctional resource essential to life but exposed to multiple threats, to finally be protected in the EU through a legislative framework similar to what is already in place for air and water, said MEPs on Wednesday 28 April.
In a resolution adopted by a very large majority (605 for, 55 against, 41 abstentions), the European Parliament therefore calls on the Commission to develop a common EU legal framework - in full respect of the subsidiarity principle - on the protection and sustainable use of soil (see EUROPE 12707/2, 12700/9).
The resolution is intended to guide the Commission as it consults on the future EU strategy on the subject, expected in autumn.
Parliament calls for the future framework to address all threats to soil. It wants targets, indicators, including harmonised indicators, and a methodology for monitoring and reporting on soil status. It also calls for a clarification of the roles of the different actors.
The Commission is invited to accompany its legislative proposal with a thorough, science-based impact assessment that will consider the costs of action and inaction in terms of immediate and long-term impacts on the environment, human health, the internal market and sustainability in general. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)