The need for soil protection legislation at EU level

Abstract

The Position paper begins by discussing options on how to further develop EU soil protection law. Compared to the status-quo, strengthening the existing soil protection legislation at EU level would preserve transboundary ecosystem services of soils and also help to effectively implement the ‘land degradation neutrality’ objective. More specifically, the Position paper clarifies the advantages and disadvantages of the two possible regulatory approaches – the holistic/development concept comparable to the Water Framework Directive on the one hand and the sector-related/minimum requirement approach on the other hand. The Position paper further submits specific proposals for the development of EU Soil protection legislation especially with regard to contamination, land take/soil use as well as agriculture.