Mandatory monitoring, fight against pollution and incentives for sustainable practices, with effects on food, water and climate resilience: a few weeks ago, the European Parliament approved the European soil directive with 341 votes in favour, the first community legislation on soil monitoring protects and restores soils, ensuring that they are used in a sustainable way.
After years of stalemate, a regulatory gap is finally filled: it was July 5, 2023, in fact, when the European Commission published the text of the proposed Directive for soil monitoring and resilience (Soil Monitoring Law), with the aim of obtaining healthy soils by 2050 throughout the Union.
Then followed a long process of modifications and adaptations that lasted two years and finally the definitive text. Member states now have three years to transpose the Directive.
Why the Directive is needed
Because healthy soils are essential for agricultural productivity, resistance to plant parasites and the nutritional quality and safety of food, but unfortunately its degradation is a common problem in all European countries, with 60-70% of soils in an unhealthy state.
This is why the EU Soil Strategy 2030 provides the framework and concrete measures to protect and restore soil and ensure that it is used sustainably.
In this context, a new law on soil monitoring will ensure a level playing field and a high level of environmental and health protection.
What does the European Soil Directive provide?
The Soil Monitoring Law, which comes into force on 16 December 2025, aims to address major threats to soil in the EU, such as:
The new legislation therefore introduces a European soil monitoring system with clear objectives: improving soil resilience, managing contaminated sites and reducing soil consumption (land take). In addition, the directive also includes the surveillance of dangerous chemicals, such as PFAS, pesticides and microplastics, and defines soil health classes with European reference values and national thresholds.
Furthermore, the directive applies to all soils: in forests, on agricultural land, in urban areas and other sectors, providing a legal framework to help achieve healthy soils by 2050:
First, each Member State will have to set up systems for measuring the physical, chemical and biological condition of soils, based on a common EU methodology. Then, the data will be communicated regularly to the European Commission and the European Environment Agency, ensuring a comparable and coordinated picture.
