The next session of negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU (trilogue) on ‘Soil Monitoring’ will be held on Thursday 12 December. The permanent representatives of the Member States will meet the day before to prepare for this meeting.
Proposed in July 2023 by the European Commission, the Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience (see EUROPE 13216/4) aims to promote healthy soils by 2050, the long-term goal of the EU’s 2030 Biodiversity Strategy.
In its position adopted on 17 June (see EUROPE 13433/3), the EU Council introduced a “step-by-step approach”, which should enable Member States to “prioritise measures, taking into account potential risks, the socio-economic context and the current and planned land use”.
In contrast to the Commission and Parliament, the Council of the EU is defending a non-binding text. The sustainable land management practices to be followed to achieve the long-term objective must therefore follow criteria divided into non-binding sustainable target values and operational threshold values, according to the EU Council.
The EU Council’s position, which introduces greater flexibility and defends the national adaptability of regulations according to local contexts, has also lengthened the deadlines for assessing soil health, taking measures or identifying contaminated sites, for example.
Finally, the EU Council’s position removes sanctions. Article 23, which is dedicated to them, has therefore been renamed “Commission support”. While the Commission and Parliament advocate “dissuasive” sanctions, the EU Council calls on the Commission to provide Member States with “the necessary support, assistance and capacity-building”. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)