{"id":115161,"date":"2024-06-17T15:04:28","date_gmt":"2024-06-17T13:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/?p=115161"},"modified":"2024-06-17T15:04:28","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T13:04:28","slug":"council-fails-to-ramp-up-ambition-of-first-ever-eu-law-on-soils","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eeb.org\/fr\/council-fails-to-ramp-up-ambition-of-first-ever-eu-law-on-soils\/","title":{"rendered":"Council fails to ramp up ambition of first ever EU law on soils"},"content":{"rendered":"

During this Monday\u2019s Environment Council, Environment Ministers<\/span> reached an agreement<\/span><\/span> [1]<\/span> on the Soil Monitoring Law. <\/span>The<\/span> EEB welcomes the achievement of a compromise, but regrets<\/span> Member States<\/span>\u2019<\/span> fail<\/span>u<\/span>re <\/span>to<\/span> enhance <\/span>the <\/span>much needed<\/span> ambition of the law.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

Healthy soil ecosystems host more than half of the Earth\u2019s species, regulate water and carbon cycles and provide 95% of the food we eat. And yet, an estimated <\/span>60 to 70% of EU soils are in bad health. In July last year, the European Commission proposed a Soil Monitoring Law, Europe\u2019s first ever law on soils.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, with the <\/span>European Commission\u2019s proposal<\/span> [2] already alarmingly feeble and the <\/span>European Parliament\u2019s disappointingly weak position<\/span> [3] in April, the Council missed a crucial opportunity to raise the ambition of the law and develop a legal tool capable of bringing degraded soils back to health by 2050.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline Heinzel, Associate Policy Officer for Soil, said:\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>While we congratulate the Belgian presidency for effectively leading negotiations towards an agreement, we are very concerned about the further erosion of an already weak proposal.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Excessive flexibility should not undermine a unified and harmonised EU approach. Given the dire state of our soils, we cannot afford further delays. Lawmakers must now improve the text based on agreed mandates to raise the bar and create a Soil Law that works and that guarantees healthy soils across Europe by 2050.<\/span><\/i>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The<\/span> EEB <\/span>highlights<\/span> a <\/span>few positive elements <\/span>in the Council position<\/span>,<\/span> such as<\/span>:<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n