Europe’s soils are in trouble — and the Council has finally stepped up. The newly adopted soil monitoring directive establishes the first EU-wide system to assess soil health, aiming for healthier soils across the 27-member bloc by 2050. That urgency is clear: more than two-thirds of European soils are currently in poor shape. That, in turn, threatens food security, clean water, and biodiversity.
This directive is a significant milestone. Soil isn’t just dirt beneath our feet; it’s a vital resource for agriculture, ecosystems, and climate resilience. To tackle soil degradation effectively, member states must set up monitoring systems to assess soils’ physical, chemical, and biological health. Crucially, all assessments will follow a common EU methodology, ensuring consistent data across countries. This will help the EU track soil health trends, identify risks, and coordinate responses.
Contaminated sites
Beyond monitoring, the directive tackles the management of contaminated sites and introduces rules to reduce land take. The conversion of land to non-agricultural uses, which often involves soil sealing (covering soil with concrete, asphalt, or other impermeable surfaces, which harms soil function) and soil removal during construction. To guide targeted action, the directive defines common soil descriptors and classes that reflect soil health status. These link to non-binding EU target values, offering member states a roadmap to prioritise interventions and gradually restore soil quality. The European Commission will play a crucial role, providing member states with technical tools, methodological guidance, and facilitating the exchange of best practices to ensure smooth implementation.
Next steps
Following the Council’s adoption, the directive now moves to the European Parliament, expected to vote on it in the coming weeks. Once approved, member states will have three years to transpose the rules into national legislation and begin applying them on the ground.
This new framework fills a long-standing gap in EU environmental policy, where soil has lacked dedicated legislation compared to water, air, and marine protection. With this directive, the EU takes a vital step towards safeguarding soils — the foundation for a sustainable future.
The agreement comes as the EU’s environmental agency warned climate change and environmental degradation pose a direct threat to the natural resources Europe needs for its economic security. Agency head Leena Yl-Mononen said on Monday that “The window for meaningful action is narrowing, and the consequences of delay are becoming more tangible.”
