EU Soil Strategy for 2030 – Reaping the benefits of healthy soils for people, food, nature and climate

Summary:

Communication published by the European Commission on 17 November 2021, setting out a new strategy aimed at securing healthy soils across the European Union (EU).

Further information:

This strategy sets a framework with measures for the protection, restoration and sustainable use of soils, and proposes a set of voluntary and legally binding measures. It aims to increase the soil carbon in agricultural land, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, and ensure that by 2050, all soil ecosystems are in a healthy condition. The strategy calls for ensuring the same level of protection to soil that exists for water, the marine environment and air in the EU, and it also vows to mobilise societal engagement and financial resources, shared knowledge. Finally, it aims to promote sustainable soil management practices and monitoring.

The Communication was presented on 17 November 2021 and seen as a deliverable of the European Green Deal and the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy.

• Primary Source

• Alternative Source

Commentary and Analysis

ClientEarth: Press Release, 17/11/2021: New EU soil strategy is “ray of hope” for health of people and nature – ClientEarth reaction https://www.clientearth.org/latest/press-office/press/new-eu-soil-strategy-is-ray-of-hope-for-health-of-people-and-nature-clientearth-reaction/

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News

EurActiv, 17/11/2021: Soils to receive same legal status as air, water in first EU-wide soil health law https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/soils-to-receive-same-legal-status-as-air-water-in-first-eu-wide-soil-health-law/

The Brussels Times, 18/11/2021: European Commission moves up a gear after COP26 to implement the Green Deal https://www.brusselstimes.com/news/eu-affairs/194256/european-commission-moves-up-a-gear-after-cop26-to-implement-the-green-deal/

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Official

EUR-LEX: SWD(2021)323: Staff Working Document accompanying the Communication https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=SWD:2021:323:FIN

European Commission: Environment: Soil and Land https://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/index_en.htm

European Commission: Press Release, 17/11/2021: European Green Deal: Commission adopts new proposals to stop deforestation, innovate sustainable waste management and make soils healthy for people, nature and climate https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_21_5916

European Commission: Questions and Answers on the EU Soil Strategy (17 November 2021) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_21_5917

European Commission: Press conference by Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner Sinkevičius on a package of proposals on soil, waste and deforestation (17 November 2021) https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_21_6085

Greens/EFA Group: Press Release, 17/11/2021: Groundbreaking strategy chance to achieve healthy soils https://www.greens-efa.eu/en/article/press/groundbreaking-strategy-chance-to-achieve-healthy-soils

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