On Wednesday 10 April, during the plenary session of the European Parliament, MEPs adopted (336 votes in favour, 242 against and 33 abstentions) its position for the forthcoming interinstitutional negotiations on soil monitoring and resilience (see EUROPE 13316/6), which are intended to ensure that soil health improves within the EU and that healthy soil is achieved by 2050.
The report by Martin Hojsík (Renew Europe, Slovakian) on the subject had already been adopted by the European Parliament Committee on the Environment on 11 March.
According to the report adopted by the European Parliament, Member States should monitor health and land use, drawing on the expertise of national research institutes, existing national monitoring systems and available data.
Soil should be assessed at least every six years, with the first assessment taking place within five years of the text coming into force. These assessments should be accompanied by reports.
MEPs also agreed on a new article requiring the Commission to set up a toolbox for sustainable soil management. Free of charge and easily accessible to the public, it could be included in the digital data portal on soil health and should provide managers with practical information on sustainable soil management.
The report also states that Member States should take into account areas used for the abstraction of drinking water and the occurrence of any illnesses presumed to be linked to exposure to soil contamination when identifying potentially contaminated sites.
The Commission, for its part, should present to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, within twelve months of the entry into force of the Directive, a report assessing the financial resources available at EU level for the implementation of the Directive.
In their report, MEPs also called for additional financial resources to be made available for the post-2027 period to promote sustainable soil management, permanent soil regeneration and monitoring activities.
The Commission should also, eight years after the date of entry into force of the text, report every five years on implementation, including the measures taken by the Member States to comply with the new rules. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)