(28 October 2013) – The decision makers from the European Commission, German Federal Ministry responsible for the Environment and the European Environmental Bureau are today, as part of the Global Soil Week in Berlin, discussing the need for a legal framework to be adopted at EU level for the protection of European soils.
The event comes in the light of the most recent announcement of the European Commission that it will still within this term consider carefully if the objective of protecting European soils could better be served by withdrawing the proposal for a Soil Framework Directive, tabled in… 2006.
Soil is increasingly being threatened by unsustainable agricultural practices, soil sealing and contamination, which will in turn limit our ability to mitigate as well as to adapt to changing climate and threaten Europe’s food security. Despite this, it has still not been afforded the deserved level of protection at the EU level.
The negotiations on the 7th Environment Action Programme brought about new hope for re-opening of the discussion on the importance of soil protection in Europe at the appropriate political level, making a specific reference to MS commitment to reflect on how to address soil quality issues within a binding legal framework.
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Europe’s largest federation of environmental citizens’ organisations, and the German League for Nature and Environment (DNR) heavily criticized the longstanding German blocking of the EU Soil Framework Directive.