On Tuesday 30 May, around thirty environmental, agricultural and scientific NGOs published their letter to the European Commission, urging it to present the proposal for a directive on soil health “as soon as possible and before the summer 2023 at the latest”, the publication of which was expected on 7 June but has been postponed to 5 July in the Commission’s indicative timetable (see EUROPE 13186/33).
According to the signatories of the letter, which is addressed to the Executive Vice-President for the Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, and the European Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, if the text is to make as much progress as possible in the legislative process before the European elections, this cannot be delayed any further.
“The science is clear: up to 70% of European soils are in poor health”, stated the NGOs.
They argue that “neglecting soil health significantly limits our ability to adapt to droughts and floods and to ensure food security on a warming planet. Intact soil ecosystems are key for a sustainable, resilient and climate-neutral Europe. European farmers build their livelihood based on these soils”.
They call for binding targets, strong governance, application of the polluter pays principle and comprehensive monitoring of soil biodiversity, intending to achieve healthy soils by 2050.
Read the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/74v (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)