Overview EU Soil Policy context

1. Josiane MASSON

2. DG Environment

3. European Commission

UNCCD COP13 – Side event Achieving Land Degradation Neutrality in Europe: meeting the challenge

Global Policy context

• New momentum on land and soil degradation in international policy agenda:

• SDGs, International Year of Soil 2015, Global Soil Partnership/FAO

• Land and soil cross-cutting the 3 Rio conventions – raising awareness importance of soil/CC and BD..

• UNCCD

• all EU MS and the European Commission are Parties

• 13 MS declared as affected parties: Croatia, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Hungary

• SDGs apply also to developed countries

• SDG 15.3 - LDN targets/reporting by EU MS and EC different approaches and various progress level

EU Policy instruments

• LD in EU goes beyond desertification – variable from one region to the other (erosion, soil organic matter depletion, soil contamination, soil sealing…)

• Overarching instruments addressing soil protection at EU level

• 7th EAP (Environmental Action Programme)

• Resource Efficiency Roadmap

• EU Soil Thematic Strategy - COM(2006)231

• Plus many sectorial policy instruments addressing soil protection (and LD) directly/ indirectly: Common Agriculture Policy, Water Framework Directive, waste, IED, ELD, BD strategy, H2020 etc)

Resource efficiency Roadmap - 2011

• “by 2020 EU policies take into account their direct and indirect impact on land use in the EU and globally… with the aim to achieve no net land take by 2050; soil erosion is reduced and the soil organic matter is increased, with remedial work on contaminated sites well underway”

7th Environment Action Programme

Objective

• By 2020: "land is managed sustainably in the Union, soil is adequately protected and the remediation of contaminated sites is well underway;"

• This requires, in particular: "increasing efforts to reduce soil erosion and increase soil organic matter, to remediate contaminated sites and to enhance the integration of land use aspects into coordinated decision-making involving all relevant levels of government, supported by the adoption of targets on soil and on land as a resource, and land planning objectives;"

Commitments

• "The Union and its Member States should also reflect as soon as possible on how soil quality issues could be addressed using a targeted and proportionate risk-based approach within a binding legal framework. Targets should also be set for sustainable land use and soil."

Soil Thematic Strategy

• Communication "Towards Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection", COM(2002)179

• Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection adopted in September 2006, COM(2006)232 incl. proposal for a Soil Framework Directive, COM(2006)232

• A lot achieved under the 3 non legislative pillars

• STS 2006 - does not reflect the recent policy developments at global level in particular SDGs

Awareness raising

Research

Legislation Integration

in other policies

4 pillars

Achievements under the Thematic strategy

• Integration in EU policies contributing in various degrees to mainly indirect protection of soil

• CAP (Cross compliance, rural development)

• Environmental policy (Waste, liability, industrial emissions, Water)

• Cohesion Policy

Awareness raising

Research

Legislation Integration

in other policies

Integration in other policies

Soils

Water Framework Directive

Nitrate Directive

Waste

Sewage sludge

Directive

Environmental

Liability

Directive

ELD

IPCC

Biodiversity Strategy

Regional policy

ERDF

Forestry

Agriculture

Research

Soil Framework Directive proposal

• SFD Proposal pending for almost eight years without qualified majority in Council

• The Commission decided to withdraw the proposal , opening the way for an alternative initiative

• "The Commission remains committed to the objective of the protection of soil and will examine options on how to best achieve this. Any further initiative in this respect will however have to be considered by the next college“

- OJ C 163, 21.5.2014, p. 4 / OJ C 163, 28.5.2014, p. 15

• Situation to date: lack of comprehensive soil protection legislation at EU level

Awareness raising

Research

Legislation Integration

in other policies

Integration in other policies

Key ongoing actions on EU soil policy

• Awareness raising and knowledge base

• Launch of an EU Expert Group on Soil Protection

• Experts nominated by EU Member States

• Reflexion on how to address 7th EAP commitments on soil

• Inventory and gap analysis of soil protection measures in all EU MS

• National legislations and non-binding measures + implementation EU policies

• Published in Feb 2017

• Mapping and Assessment of Soil-related Ecosystem Services (MAES) as part of EU Biodiversity strategy

• Communication on Land as a Resource - pending

What next?

• Potential new EU policy initiative on soil

• Define policy priorities based on the outcomes of the inventory of soil policy instrument and gap analysis

• Continue implementing the Soil Thematic Strategy

• Discussions needed on how to address LDN at EU level / target setting and integration in EU policy

• Council WP – LDN and UNCCD context – affected/non affected parties?

• Commission Soil expert group??

• Potential role of the Commission on exchange of good practices, knowledge base etc.

Importance of linking LD/soil with EU political priorities

• Jobs, Growth and Investment

• Healthy soils for greener and circular economy

• Energy Union and Climate

• Soil potential for CC mitigation and adaptation

• EU as a Global Actor

• Global objective of land degradation neutral world

• Democratic Change

• Better regulation principles in defining new approach on EU soil policy

Thank you for your attention!

See you in 2016!

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/land_use/index_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/index_en.htm