Renew Europe welcomed the political agreement between European legislators on the EU Soil Monitoring Law reached on 10 April, a crucial step toward achieving healthy soils across the EU by 2050.
This new framework will, for the first time, ensure soil health is monitored across the EU using harmonised indicators, while providing tailored support to farmers and land managers without imposing any new burdens.
To protect farmers and foresters, the agreed directive obliges EU countries to support them in improving the ability of soil to preserve its functions and to maintain its capacity to provide ecosystem services.
The agreement also includes the establishment of a public list of potentially contaminated sites and a new EU watch list for emerging substances such as PFAS and pesticides.
Renew Europe and European Parliament Vice-President Martin Hojsík MEP (Progresívne Slovensko, SK), who steered the European Parliament’s work as its rapporteur, hailed the agreement as a historic step forward.
“Healthy soils are essential for clean water, climate resilience, and biodiversity, and we can no longer afford to ignore their degradation. This deal strikes the right balance – it gives us the tools to understand and restore soil health across Europe, while protecting farmers from new obligations and ensuring they are supported in this transition. With this law, we finally give soil the attention it deserves,” said Hojsík.
Renew Europe consistently pushed for a strong, science-based EU framework to tackle soil degradation, while ensuring simplification for Member States and the safeguarding of farmers’ livelihoods.
Photo: European Parliament / 2025