Brussels, 27/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - In Palma de Majorca, where the Informal Environment Council organised by the Spanish Presidency came to an end on 25 May, the EU15 Environment Ministers lay the first foundations for a future integrated Community policy for the protection and conservation of soil quality. Ministers acknowledged the fact that soil, which is subject to growing threat due to human activity, deserves specific protection as an element that determines the landscape and the cultural heritage of mankind and as a non-renewable natural resource essential for the economy and the environment, and hence also for sustainable development.
It is the opinion of Margot Wallström, Environment Commissioner, that examination of the Commission's communication on a thematic strategy for soil protection and the Presidency's follow-up document (see EUROPE of 23 May, p.7, and 20 April, p.9) have allowed constructive debate. "We reached consensus on the threats to be overcome and on priorities of action. The mandate was entrusted to the Commission to pursue its work. We can now count on all the Member States to act together", she told the press, satisfied with the go-ahead given to the elaboration of the specific soil strategy foreseen in the context of the 6th action programme for the environment, that the Commission plans to present in 2004. The first stage of this strategy will be the setting in place of a harmonised soil surveillance system that collects precise and comparable data with a view to detecting the changes and trends of threats to the soil, and to elaborate a policy on the basis of scientific knowledge. In the meantime, several initiatives in progress such as revision of the directive on sewage sludge, the proposal of directive on compost and the mid-term review of Common Agricultural Policy will make it possible to give soil protection the importance that it deserves, said the Commissioner. "We hope to heighten awareness of the problem and integrate this concern in other sector-specific policies. This meeting will have made soil one of the main political issues, not only in the environmental sphere but also in other sectors", she declared.
Jaume Matas, Spanish Minister who chaired the discussion, welcomed this success and insisted on its innovative character. "Until now, soil protection had only been discussed in forums and specific debates. For the first time, all countries are supporting the process aimed at configuring a common soil policy after the fashion of the policies already in place for water and air. An instrument of this kind will make it possible to give the necessary impetus to the resolution of a problem that is important for all Member States, and mainly for the Mediterranean rim countries".
The whole difficulty of the task lies in the elaboration of a joint approach which also takes specific local features into account, the Member States being affected in varying degrees by erosion, reduced organic matter content, contamination, waterproofing (caused by construction of housing, roads and other infrastructures), compaction (resulting from mechanical pressure caused by heavy machinery, overgrazing and sports activities), reduced biological diversity, and salinisation (excessive accumulation of soluble sodium, magnesium and calcium salts).
The Council President insisted on the need to know the exact state of the soil - knowledge that would allow the surveillance system to come into action at Community level - but also to ensure sustainable use of soil and the integration of soil protection in soil planning and improvement. In order to guarantee the effectiveness of the future policy, the international dimension of soil protection must also be taken into account, and mainly the importance of sustainable use, to reduce poverty on a global scale. These elements are included in the draft Presidency conclusions to be examined by the Environment Council on 25 and 26 June with a view to a formal decision on the policy to be followed.
EEB calls on Council to set precise objectives
On the occasion of this informal Council, the European Environment Bureau told ministers what it had in mind for a future Community soil protection policy. Ralp Hallo, EEB President, stressed the urgent need to act after years of negligence. "We consider that, by finally giving impetus to the elaboration of a new policy, the Commission is doing a good job, but it is omitting to fix strategic aims able to provide a reference framework for real action". The EEB document, forwarded to the Council, plans to make up for this shortcoming by fixing four main objectives to: - reverse the trend towards soil pollution in the run up to 2020; - reverse the alarming trends towards soil deterioration such as erosion; - protect the vital functions of the soil at the ecological level; - protect soil as a resource necessary for food production, and indispensable for the sustainable development of mankind. In a press release, the EEB states it expects a European approach will contribute to improving the integration of environmental concerns in policies, and help to fulfil the Union's commitment to stop the destruction caused to biodiversity.