COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Ensuring resilient and sustainable use of EU's natural resources
Date: 2023-07-05
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: adaptation to climate change, biodiversity, conservation of resources, degradation of the environment, ecosystem, food waste, management of resources, natural resources, soil pollution, sustainable development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 5.7.2023  COM(2023) 410 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Ensuring resilient and sustainable use of EU's natural resources     
 
 
1.  Introduction 

The  European  Green  Deal  is  a  must  for  the  health  of  our  people  and  planet.  Since  its 
presentation in December 2019, it has set in motion a deep and holistic transformation of our 
society  and  our  economy.  The  already  agreed  and  completed  Fit  for  55  initiatives  and 
progress achieved on circular economy and zero pollution proposals pave the way towards 
meeting the European Union’s climate targets for 2030 and 2050.  

These  initiatives  and  their  targets  rely  on  solutions  provided  by  nature,  our  best  ally  in  the 
fight against climate change, as much as on new technologies and innovation. To uphold the 
European  Union’s  international  commitments  under  both  the  Paris  Agreement  and  the 
Kunming-Montreal  Biodiversity  Framework  as  well  as  in  view  of  the  2030  Agenda  for 
Sustainable  Development,  to  ensure  a  transition  to  a  sustainable  economy  and  deliver  on 
climate neutrality and adaptation, in particular to enhance carbon removals by natural sinks, 
and to deliver on the EU Climate Law, we must urgently restore and strengthen the resilience 
of natural ecosystems across the EU. We must increase their ability to help us adapt to climate 
change,  improve  preservation  of  water  resources,  and  enhance  their  productive  capacity  to 
ensure lasting food and material security.  

With  droughts,  wildfires  water  scarcity  and  flood  risks  rapidly  increasing,  and  already 
tragically affecting three quarters of European countries1, more progress is therefore needed 
on  another  pillar  of  the  Green  Deal:  ensuring  the  sustainable  use  of  the  EU’s  natural 
resources. This will also strengthen the resilience of European food and farming.  

Unsustainable  use  of  natural  resources  is  one  of  the  major  drivers  of  the  climate  and 
biodiversity crises which, in turn, already costs thousands of lives and billions of euros in the 
EU alone2. To secure a liveable and sustainable future for ourselves and for next generations, 
and to strengthen the EU’s resilience against disasters, healthy ecosystems are essential. The 
degradation and pollution of soils and weakened ecosystem resilience come at a cost for many 
sectors, especially agriculture, fisheries and the related value chains. In turn, loss of yields due 
to degraded environment, pollution, droughts, heatwaves, floods and new pests come at a cost 
to farmers, fishers and consequently to citizens in increased food prices.  

With this package, the EU continues to respect its international commitments by paving the 
way  for  healthy  soils  in  Europe  by  setting  out  a  soil  monitoring  and  resilience  proposal 
which will allow us to  monitor the health of soils and offer a  range of  support measures to 
bring  them  progressively  to  a  healthy  condition.  As  set  out  in  the  Farm  to  Fork  Strategy,  it 
also proposes a new regulatory framework for plant and forest reproductive material that 
will  boost  innovation  and  sustainable  practices,  leveraging  technological  progress  in  new 
genomic techniques to develop resilient plants and further enable the reduction of the use and 

1 Joint Research Centre – European Drought Observatory 
2  Between  1980  and  2021,  weather-  and  climate-related  damages  amounted  to  an  estimated  EUR  560  billion 
(2021 values). It is of concern that over the last ten years, weather- and climate related damages have continued 
to increase steadily. A single event like the 2021 flooding in Germany and Belgium can cause almost EUR 50 
billion in damages. 

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the risk of chemical pesticides. Measures to prevent and reduce food and textiles waste will 
also  contribute  to  a  more  efficient  use  of  natural  resources  and  further  reduction  of 
greenhouse gas emissions, as also set out in the Circular Economy Action Plan.   

This  package  completes  the  previous  Green  Deal  proposals  already  adopted,  such  as  the 
Climate Law and the revised LULUCF Regulation, or those still in the co-decision process, 
such  as  the  Nature  Restoration  Law,  which  is  the  flagship  proposal  of  the  Green  Deal’s 
natural resource pillar and key to deliver on agreed international targets on biodiversity. This 
package  is  also  tightly  knit  with  proposals  on  the  carbon  removal  certification,  or  the 
sustainable use of pesticides and those linked to  zero pollution. Together, these proposals 
will  enable  the  EU  to  steer  and  speed  up  the  transition  to  a  sustainable  economy  and 
society.  

Taken  together,  these  measures  will  bring  long-term  economic,  social,  health  and 
environmental benefits to everyone. They will benefit in particular those living directly from 
land and nature, in the form of more resilient natural assets. This contributes to prosperous 
rural  areas,  food  security,  a  resilient  and  thriving  bioeconomy  and  protects  against  the 
consequences of climate change and biodiversity loss. By increasing the resilience and health 
of soils, these proposals can provide additional income opportunities for farmers and land 
managers, who can be rewarded for carbon farming, receive payments for ecosystem services 
or for increasing the value of healthy soils and food produced on them.   

2.  Leveraging natural resources and improving soil health  

Today’s reality is that the condition of EU soils is extremely worrying. 60 to 70% of soils in 
the  EU  are  currently  unhealthy3.  In  addition,  a  billion  tonnes  of  soil  is  washed  away  every 
year due to erosion, which means that the remaining fertile top layer is continuously reducing. 
Land take and soil sealing are also leading to an irreversible loss of the most fertile soils. The 
overall costs associated with soil degradation are estimated to exceed EUR 50 billion per year. 
Without proper action, these costs will only increase.  

Droughts, floods, pest outbreaks, wildfires, and other climate-induced extreme weather events 
(including  storms)  have  further  degraded  the  health  and  resilience  of  our  soils.  Their 
frequency  has  increased  over  the  last years.  The  extent  of  intense  drought  impacts  is 
increasing in the EU indicating worsening ecosystem condition. Since 2000, eight years were 
above the long-term average in terms of drought impact, out of which five years were in the 
last decade4. A tenth of  Europe’s urban population  is  currently living in  areas potentially at 
risk of flooding5.  

3 Drivers of Food Security, Commission Staff Working Document SWD (2023) 4 
4 https://www.eea.europa.eu/ims/drought-impact-on-ecosystems-in-europe 

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The last two wildfire seasons (2021 and 2022) have shown a worrying trend of higher-than-
expected number of wildfires as well as larger areas of land burnt. The wildfire seasons  are 
also  starting  earlier  and  ending  later  in  the  year.  The  last  years  have  therefore  seen  more 
Member States having asked for support from other Member States through the Union Civil 
Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to extinguish fires, as they have deemed their own response 
resources insufficient.  

Strengthening response  capacities  on  fires,  floods, soil erosion  and droughts  is  however not 
sufficient. Improving soil health is an essential way forward to strengthen disaster prevention 
and management.   

Managing  droughts  and  water  scarcity  requires  innovative  approaches  combining  more 
traditional  water  and  drought  risk  management  responses  with  a  focus  on  building  larger 
ecosystem  resilience.  Healthy  soils  retain  up  to  25%  of  their  mass  in  water,  contributing  to 
disaster risk prevention and acting as long-term  reservoirs to  refill  groundwater bodies. The 
natural capacity of resilient soils, wetlands and forests to store water is higher than what could 
be achieved through  costly new artificial  reservoirs6.  Improved water retention can mitigate 
floods  as  well  as  droughts  and  make  the  environment  more  resilient  to  landslides  and  soil 
erosion.  Overall,  nature-based  solutions  for  flood  prevention,  for  instance,  have  high  benefit-cost 
ratios7.  Healthy  soils  with  a  high-water  infiltration  rate  also  support  the  establishment  of 
wildfire-preventing and -resistant vegetation cover.   

In  addition  to  helping prepare  for the increasing  effects of climate change, healthy soils are 
also the pre-condition for our own health, as well as for the health of many ecosystems. They 
form the basis for agricultural food production and for a sustainable bioeconomy. Since 95% 
of our food is directly or indirectly produced on soils, soil degradation has a direct impact on 
food security. Soils are  also  an  essential source  of raw materials  indispensable to  our  green 
and  digital  transitions.  Natural  resources  and  the  services  provided  by  healthy  ecosystems, 
including  food  production,  are  crucial  to  the  viability  of  our  economy  and  society.  As 
degraded  and  polluted  soils  have  a  strongly  reduced  capacity  to  store  carbon  and  to  make 
nutrients naturally available to plants, further degradation of European soils would also make 
the  achievement  of  European  climate  targets  and  Member  States’  legal  obligations  under 
LULUCF  more  challenging.  In  parallel,  degraded  soils  reduce  the  business  case  for  carbon 
farming while healthy soils secure farmers’ incomes from food production, carbon farming as 
well as from the farm’s assets. 

This is why it is so important that Member States authorities, farmers and other landowners 
develop and put into place the right soil management and regeneration measures in the right 
place. For this purpose the Soil Proposal puts in place a solid and coherent soil monitoring 
framework for all soils across the EU and to continuously improve soil health in the Union 
with  the  view  to  achieve  healthy  soils  by  2050.  The  proposal  builds  on  practices  already 

6 “What the future has in Store: A new Paradigm for Water Storage”, The World Bank, 2023. 
7  “Economics  for  Prevention  and  Preparedness:  Investment  in  Disaster  Risk  management  in  Europe  makes 
Economic Sense”, The World Bank report, 2021, Summary report, p. 14. 

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supported by the Common Agricultural Policy and does not introduce any new obligations on 
farmers.  The  monitoring  framework  brings  several  sources  of  soil  data  under  one  roof, 
combining soil sampling data from the Land Use and Coverage Area frame Survey8 (LUCAS) 
with  satellite  data  from  Copernicus,  data  generated  under  the  EU  Mission  ‘A  Soil  Deal  for 
Europe’9, as well as with national and private data.  

This will facilitate Member States’ efforts in monitoring their commitments under LULUCF 
and national energy and climate plans, the Common Agricultural Policy as well as under the 
proposed Nature Restoration Law. It will contribute to the regular Zero Pollution Monitoring 
and Outlook10 and the Biodiversity Monitoring where, so far, soil data are not included at the 
same level as air and water data. At the same time, an accurate diagnosis across the EU will 
help Member States authorities, farmers and other landowners to develop and put into place 
the appropriate soil management and regeneration measures. 

Soil data will also feed into the development and deployment of innovation, technological and 
organisational solutions in farming practices including crop diversification, precision farming, 
plant  development,  digitised  soil  management  tools  or  the  use  of  artificial  intelligence 
solutions from sensing systems and field-based measuring systems. This will enable farmers 
to  implement  the  most  appropriate  treatment  method  and  assist  them  in  maintaining  and 
increasing  soil  fertility  and  yields,  while  minimising  water  and  nutrient  consumption.  In 
addition,  soil  data  allows  an  enhanced  analysis  of  trends  on  droughts,  water  retention  and 
erosion, contributing to disaster prevention and management.  

The  proposal  also  lays  down  sustainable  management  principles  applicable  to  managed 
soils  in  Europe,  including  soils  used  in  agriculture.  It  helps  Member  States  to  develop  and 
define regenerative practices in an inclusive manner with farmers and other land managers. 

Access to soil data is also crucial for foresters to maintain and enhance the ecological, socio-
economic value of their forests. Forests and other wooded land cover close to half of the EU’s 
land surface and play a key role in  supporting a strong forest-based bioeconomy, mitigating 
and adapting to climate change and preserving and restoring biodiversity. Forested land is the 
main  contributor  to  the  EU’s  carbon  sink.  The  importance  of  forests  and  their  multiple 
functions is set to increase in the future, also as provider of raw material for the bioeconomy, 
with the extended forest-based value chains currently supporting 4.5 million jobs in the EU. 
However,  climate  change  has  caused  significant  tree  dieback  and  temporary  forest  loss  in 
many  EU  Member  States  in  recent  years.  Economic  impacts  from  forest  fires  have  reached 
around 1.5 billion annually, while increasing temperatures are predicted to reduce the value of 
forest  land  by  several  hundred  billion  euros  by  the  end  of  the  century  due  to  changes  in 
species composition. 

The uptake, large-scale development and success of new sustainable business models such as 
carbon  farming  based  on  carbon  removal  certification  and  payments  for  ecosystem  services 

8 Overview - Land cover/use statistics - Eurostat (europa.eu) 
9 Soil health and food (europa.eu) 
10 Zero pollution targets (europa.eu) 

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requires  high-quality  data,  especially  on  soils.  The  voluntary  certification  of  healthy  soil  is 
expected to increase the value of the carbon removal certificate and to provide further social 
and market recognition for sustainable soil management and related food products.  

The benefits of fertile soils and recognition of measures to achieve this will also help boost 
private  financing,  as  food  industry  and  other  business  have  already  started  putting  in  place 
programmes  aimed  at  paying  for  ecosystem  services  and  supporting  sustainable  practices 
related  to  soil  health.  Diversification  of  agricultural  and  forestry  production  systems, 
accompanied by a greater variety of marketable products, also provide opportunities for new 
jobs  in  the  EU.  Carbon  farming  initiatives  can  be  financed  via  the Common  Agricultural 
Policy, other EU funding instruments such as LIFE, and Horizon Europe, public funding such 
as  State  aid,  private  initiatives  linked  to  carbon  markets,  or  through  a  combination  of  these 
funding options. 

Box 1.   Reaping benefits from improved data and knowledge  

  The soil proposal will enable farmers and foresters access independent  and impartial 

advice on how to bring their soils to good health.  

  All  land  managers  will  have  (voluntary)  access  to  soil  health  certification.  This  will 
have an impact on the value of land. It can be expected that healthy soils will hold a 
higher  value,  as  they  will  be  proven  as  more  resilient  to  the  effects  of  the  climate 
change  and  volatility  of  weather.  This  is  crucial  for  the  land  market,  as  well  as  for 
young  and  new  farmers.  Healthy  soils  produce  healthy  food,  store  more  carbon 
regulate water and nutrient flows and support biodiversity. This can also be reflected 
by the market, for example in sustainable labelling or via carbon credits in the context 
of carbon removal certification.   

  Soil data will enable farmers to account for the variety of soil conditions and therefore 
allowing them  to implement the most appropriate treatment method: this will lead to 
increased  fertility  and  yields,  while  minimising  water,  pesticide  and  fertilizer 
consumption. 

  Soil pollution data are increasingly demanded by land property owners and affect the 
value  of  land  in  particular  in  cases  where  remediation  is  needed  (e.g.  from  former 
industrial sites) before the land can be reused for other purposes (e.g. housing).  

  Access  to  data  will  also  facilitate  technological  development  and  innovation  in 
agricultural  areas  such  as  precision  farming,  crop  management  and  diversification, 
digitised  soil  management  tools  or  the  use  of  artificial  intelligence  solutions  from 
sensing systems and field-based measuring systems. 
In  addition,  soil  data  could  be  used  by  Member  States  and  the  EU  for  an  enhanced 
analysis  of  trends  in  droughts  and  floods,  so  contributing  to  a  better  disaster 
management and resilience.  

 

  The  EU  Mission  A  Soil  Deal  for  Europe  is  testing  and  scaling-up  solutions  for 
sustainable  land  and  soil  management  in  agriculture,  forestry  and  other  land  uses  to  
progress towards healthier soils and help to advance harmonised soil monitoring and 
reporting in Europe. Food is also one of the key systems addressed in the EU Mission 
on adaptation to climate change which ambitions to have at least 150 regions or local 
entities resilient to climate change by 2030.  

  The European  Biodiversity Partnership, the European Partnership Water Security for 
the Planet, the Sustainable Food Systems Partnership, the Partnership for Agroecology 

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are  concerted  research  and  innovation  initiatives,  delivering  concrete  solutions  to 
stakeholders that have to take action on food, water and biodiversity. 

3. Supporting resilient and sustainable food systems 

The  double  crisis  of  climate  change  and  biodiversity  loss  has  put  the  focus  on  long-term 
resilience and the need for a transition to sustainable agriculture and food systems. Scientific 
analysis shows clearly that climate change and biodiversity loss are among the biggest threats 
to food security globally. To ensure lasting food security, we need to make use of all solutions 
available.  

As defined in the proposal for a Nature Restoration Law, restoring and enhancing biodiversity 
in  agricultural  ecosystems  is  urgent  in  order  to  ensure  the  transition  to  sustainable  food 
systems  and  their  long-term  resilience.  More  than  75%  of  global  food  crops  and  almost  €5 
billion of the EU’s agricultural output rely on animal pollination. Scientific evidence indicates 
that, over the past 30  years, we have  already lost more than three quarters of flying insects. 
Currently,  one  in  three  bee  and  butterfly  species  in  the  EU  are  in  decline.  Biodiverse  and 
sustainably managed agricultural ecosystems are more resilient to climate change. To support 
the resilience of our agricultural ecosystems, we need to rely on a sustainable food production 
system. This requires healthy ecosystems that support soil fertility,  nutrient cycling,  climate 
and water regulation, pollination, and natural pest control.   

Healthy  biodiversity  and  functioning  ecosystems  make  food  systems,  livelihoods  and  the 
society  at  large  more  resilient  to  shocks  and  stress.  Ecosystems  and  habitats  that  facilitate 
biodiversity  benefit  the  overall  stability  of  crop  production.  A  more  sustainable  agricultural 
production that it less dependent on fertilisers and chemicals/pesticides will make the sector 
less  dependent  on  external  inputs  and  more  resilient  in  general,  including  to  the  inevitable 
impacts of climate change.  This also applies to forestry, fishery and other sectors that depend 
on nature. Restored, more biodiverse ecosystems will be more resilient to external threats and 
to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.  

The CAP through eco-schemes, agri-environment-climate measures and green investment aid 
provide  support  for  rolling  out  sustainable  practices,  such  as  agro-ecology  and  organic 
farming  (EUR  97.6  billion  for  the  period  2023-2027).  In  addition,  the  CAP  provides  for 
obligations and support for advisory services to be made available to farmers, and which are 
essential when undertaking major changes in the farming systems or implanting innovative or 
complex  practices.  In  parallel,  companies  within  and  outside  the  food  chain  provide  a  fast-
emerging variety of private funding for regenerative agriculture.  

As a part of the necessary efforts towards greater sustainability, farmers need access to state 
of  the  art  innovation.  New  technologies  can  help  in  boosting  resilience  for  both  agriculture 
and forested land and provide means to  protect  harvests from  the effects  of climate change, 
biodiversity  loss  and  environmental  degradation.  As  a  consequence,  there  is  significant 

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demand by breeders and farmers in the EU and globally for better adapted varieties making 
best use of all types of breeding approaches including new genomic techniques. 

New  Genomic  Techniques  (NGT)  have  been  developing  rapidly  in  the  last  two  decades. 
These  innovative  techniques  can  improve  crops.  Examples  include  plants  with  improved 
tolerance  or  resistance  to  plant  diseases  and  pests,  plants  with  improved  tolerance  or 
resistance  to  climate  change  effects,  including  extreme  temperatures  or  droughts,  improved 
nutrient  and  water-use  efficiency  in  plants,  and  plants  with  higher  yields.   In  most  cases, 
applying  these  new  techniques  to  plant  breeding  means  that  plants  can  be  developed  faster 
(e.g.,  whereas  it  may  take  a  few  years  for  a  plant  developed  through  New  Genomic 
Techniques  to  reach  the  market,  it  may  take  10-15  years  for  the  same  plant,  bred  by 
conventional  breeding  methods),  cheaper  and,  especially,  that  the  changes  be  more  targeted 
and  precise  than  by  using  conventional  breeding  or  established  genomic  techniques.  A 
modern set of rules can increase the competitiveness of EU agriculture, unlock EU research 
potential  and  deliver  wider  variety  of  food  to  consumers,  while  increasing  global  food 
security  Plants  based  on  New  Genomic  Techniques  can  also  contribute  to  reducing  the  use 
and risk of pesticides, which is the aim of the proposal for a regulation on the sustainable use 
of plant protection products11. 

The proposal on New Genomic Techniques combines a high standard of protection for both 
human  and  animal  health  and  the  environment  with  a  contribution  to  a  resilient  and 
sustainable  food  system  through  innovative  plant  products.  The  Commission’s  proposal 
provides for requirements for the marketing of plants based on New Genomic Techniques and 
products  which  -to  avoid  unnecessary  burden-  take  into  account  that,  in  some  cases,  New 
Genomic Techniques lead to plants and products that are comparable to those of conventional 
breeding,  and  in  other  cases  they  entail  more  complex  modifications.  It  also  puts  forward 
clear  rules  to  ensure  transparency  about  plants  and  products  obtained  by  New  Genomic 
Techniques,  including  the  labelling  of  seeds.  This  will  provide  farmers  with  a  clear  and 
informed  choice.  At  the  same  time,  this  proposal  is  complementary  to  other  sustainable 
farming methods, such as organic farming, which will not use New Genomic Techniques. 

The proposed enabling framework will support the competitiveness of the European research, 
and  diverse  plant  breeding  and  farming  sectors.  The  European  seed  sector  is  the  largest 
exporter  in  the  global  seed  market12  (20%  of  the  global  market  with  an  estimated  value  of 
EUR  7-10  billion  with  about  7000  SMEs, 
innovation  capacity, 
competitiveness  and  production  in  the  EU  being  crucial  for  the  EU  food  security)  and  the 
the  EU’s 
ability 
competitiveness and its continued contribution to global food security. Innovation will put the 
EU  at  the  forefront  of  technological  developments  and  global  economic,  social  and 

is  a  prerequisite  formaintaining 

technologies 

innovative 

long-term 

to  use 

their 

11  Proposal  for  a  Regulation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  the  sustainable  use  of  plant 
protection products and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2115, COM (2022)305 final, 2022/0196 (COD) 
12  Ragonnaud  G.,  2013.  The  EU  seed  and  Plant  Reproductive  Material  Market  in  Perspective:  A  Focus  on 
Companies  and  Market  Shares.  Policy  Department  B:  Structural  and  Cohesion  Policies.  European  Parliament 
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development. 

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environmental benefits generated by these new technologies. The proposal introduces a swift 
process  for  businesses  that  will  either  have  to  show  that  the  plants  based  on  New  Genomic 
Techniques are equivalent to conventionally-bred plants, or undergo a proportionate and risk-
based  environmental  and  safety  assessment,  thus  speeding  up  the  availability  of  plants  and 
products  obtained  from  them,  including  food  and  feed,  to  the  benefit  of  farmers  and 
consumers.  

Box 2. New genomic techniques – safe and sustainable food 

Disease resistant potatoes13 

Fungal resistant potato varieties are difficult to breed because fungal diseases are severe and 
can overcome resistance. Due to the low availability of varieties with resistance, potatoes are 
among the crops that use most pesticides. New Genomic Techniques can support and  speed 
up the breeding process to allow for a faster access to fungal resistant varieties. 

Varieties  with  durable  resistance  to  these  diseases  could  reduce  fungicide  use  without 
affecting  yields.  In  potatoes,  a  50-80%  reduction  of  fungicide  use  may  be  reached, 
representing  cost  savings  for  farmers  as  well  as  an  important  environmental  benefit.  For 
instance, potatoes which are resistant to late blight disease are estimated to lead to 4 to 15% 
cost savings per hectare.  

It is important for the legislative framework to be balanced and calibrated, ensuring farmers 
and  breeders  access  to  patented  techniques  and  material,  so  as  to  promote  seed  diversity  at 
affordable  prices,  and  safeguard  breeding  and  cultivation  of  unpatented  conventional  and 
organic  crops,  while  also  strongly  supporting  innovation  in  plant  breeding  by  preserving 
investment  incentives,  such  as  patents.  The  Commission  will  assess,  as  part  of  a  broader 

13  Schneider,  K.,  Barreiro-Hurle,  J.,  Kessel,  G.  et  al.,  2023.  Economic  and  environmental  impacts  of  disease 
resistant crops developed with cisgenesis. EUR 31355, Publication office of the European Union, Luxembourg. 
https://doi.org/10.2760/715646 

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market analysis, the impact that the patenting of plants and related licensing and transparency 
practices  may  have  on  innovation  in  plant  breeding,  on  breeders’  access  to  genetic  material 
and techniques and on availability of seeds to farmers as well as the overall competitiveness 
of  the  EU  biotech  industry.  The  Commission  will  report  on  its  findings  by  2026.  It  will 
identify possible challenges in the sector and serve as basis to decide on any possible follow-
up actions.  

Together  with  today’s  package,  the  Commission  also  addresses  the  Council’s  request  to 
submit a study complementing the impact assessment of the proposal for a Regulation on the 
sustainable use of plant protection products. The additional input shows that the proposal 
will help guarantee the EU’s long-term food and feed security. Building on the Commission’s 
2022  non-paper,  the  reduced  scope  of  restrictions  in  sensitive  areas  can  help  protect  human 
health  and  the  environment,  whilst  having  a  limited  impact  on  agriculture.  The  additional 
input also suggests possible ways for the co-legislators to consider how to further reduce the 
administrative  burden,  particularly  for  very  small  farms,  and  stresses  the  importance  of  the 
availability  of  sufficient  alternatives  to  chemical  pesticides.  Therefore,  the  Commission 
outlines  possible  options  that  co-legislators  could  consider,  notably  on  setting  shorter 
timelines  for  Member  States  to  deliver  draft  assessment  reports  for  new  biocontrol  active 
substances, allowing provisional authorisations at Member State level for biocontrol products 
and  allowing  approvals  to  be  granted  for  an  unlimited  period  of  time  at  EU  level  for 
biocontrol  active  substances.  This  would  mean  that  the  current  lengthy  approval  procedure 
would  be  substantially  reduced  and  new  biological  alternatives  could  be  deployed  almost 
immediately, when Member States have completed the first assessment.  

The  proposed  Regulation  on  the  production  and  marketing  of  plant  reproductive 
material  will  consolidate,  update  and  simplify  the  existing  legal  framework  regarding  all 
sectors of seed by replacing the 10 existing Directives. It will give farmers access to diverse, 
high-quality  seeds  and  other  plant  reproductive  material  that  guarantee  stable  yields, 
resilience  and  other  traits  by  resilient  plant  varieties  through  reinforced  sustainability 
requirements  in  variety  testing  (e.g.  disease  resistance)  for  all  regulated  crop  groups.  Seeds 
derived from such varieties will be better adapted to the pressures of climate change and help 
ensure food security. The proposal will contribute to reaching 25% of agricultural land under 
organic farming by facilitating the registration of organic varieties through rules adjusted to 
the  principles  of  organic  farming.  The  proposal  will  help  conserve  and  enhance  the  genetic 
diversity  of  cultivated  crops  by  introducing  lighter  rules  on  conservation  varieties,  seed 
conservation  networks  and  exchange  in  kinds  of  seeds  between  farmers  and  support  the 
development  of  mixtures  of  seeds.  It  will  also  increase  efficiency  and  efficacy  of  the 
registration/certification systems  by providing more flexibility  to  the operators and enabling 
the use of bio-molecular techniques and digitalisation.  

The proposal for a Regulation on the production and marketing of forest reproductive 
material will help ensure that the right tree is planted in the right place for forests to  thrive 
under  current  and  projected  future  climatic  conditions.  Assessment  of  sustainability 
characteristics  of  parent  trees  allows  speeding  up  climate  change  adaptation  of  forests,  thus 
ensuring  their  continued  productivity  in  the  future.  Rules  to  facilitate  the  conservation  of 

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endangered  forest  genetic  resources  will  enhance  the  genetic  diversity  of  trees.  National 
contingency plans will help ensure sufficient supply of forest reproductive material to reforest 
areas  affected  by  extreme  weather  events,  fires,  pest  outbreaks  and  other  disasters.  The 
regulation  provides  flexibility  to  apply  specific  approaches  and  actions  in  different  types  of 
forests  and  forest  ecosystems  and  contributes  to  creating  resilient  forests,  conserve 
biodiversity  and  restore  forest  ecosystems.  It  also  supports  the  conservation  and  sustainable 
use of forest genetic resources. 

4. Ensuring efficient use of produce by tackling food and textile waste  

Food waste is  one of the largest  sources of inefficiency  and puts  an unnecessary burden on 
limited natural resources, such as land and water use. Nearly 59 million tonnes of food (131 
kg/inhabitant)  are  wasted  in  the  EU  each  year  with  estimated  market  value  of  EUR  132 
billion14.  Over  half  of  food  waste  (53%)  is  generated  by  households,  followed  by  the 
processing  and  manufacturing  sector  (20%).  It  is  also  simply  unacceptable  to  waste  food  at 
this  scale  while  hunger  is  on  the  rise  globally  and  32.6  million  EU  citizens  cannot  afford  a 
proper meal every second day. 

Fighting  food  waste  is  a  triple  win:  it  saves  food  for  human  consumption  and  thereby 
contributes to food security. It helps companies and consumers to save money, and it lowers 
the environmental impact of food production and consumption.  

Despite the growing awareness of the negative consequences of food waste, the full potential 
of food waste reduction is not yet realised. The proposed food waste reduction targets for EU 
Member States support their commitment as part of the global UN Sustainable Development 
Goals  to  move  towards  halving  food  waste  at  the  retail  and  consumer  levels  by  2030.  The 
targets  will  galvanise  efforts  towards  the  development  of  increasingly  sustainable  food 
system. In order to ensure common and shared responsibility across the EU, the proposal for 
food waste reduction sets the same target for each Member State whilst leaving to each of 
them to take the most effective measures, tailored to its specific national situation, supported 
by  initiatives  to  share  best  practices  and  results  achieved  such  as  the  EU  Platform  on  Food 
Losses  and  Food  Waste.  Further  to  the  legislative  proposal,  the  Commission  is  publishing 
today a compendium of solutions to help all actors prevent food waste at consumer level  15. 
The compendium responds to recommendations from the recently convened  citizens’ panels 
organised  to  support  consumer  behavioural  change16.  Food  waste  reduction  targets  are 
expected  to  deliver  significant  environmental  benefits  and  financial  savings  for  consumers 
(ca. €400/household/year).  

To  address the hotspots of food waste generation in the EU and to accelerate  Member States’ 
progress  towards  the  global  ambition,  the  specific  food  waste  reduction  targets  are 
differentiated  across  the  food  chain  and  based  on  the  latest  scientific  evidence.  Continuous 

14 Food waste and food waste prevention - estimates - Statistics Explained (europa.eu) 
15 European Consumer Food Waste Forum | Knowledge for policy (europa.eu) 
16 ECP1_Citizens Recommendations_EN_final.pdf (europa.eu). 

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data  collection  will  allow  to  track  and  review  progress  and  to  make  any  necessary 
adjustments,  taking  into  account  Member  States’  progress  over  time.  This  will  support  a 
robust EU contribution  towards SDG Target  12.3 by 2030 and  will  inform  the ambition for 
further progress beyond that date. 

Textile waste also puts an unnecessary burden on limited natural resources.  Around 78% of 
the textiles waste is  not separately collected by consumers and ends up in  mixed household 
waste, destined to be incinerated or landfilled. This resource-inefficient waste management is 
not in line with the circular economy  objectives and leads to environmental harm in the EU 
and in  third countries, including in  developing countries  and among vulnerable populations, 
through excessive levels of GHG emissions, water consumption, pollution and land use. The 
proposed  rules  on  the  introduction  of  extended  producer  responsibility  for  textiles,  and  on 
ensuring  the  proper  management  of  textile  waste  aim  to  implement  the  polluter-pays 
principle,  promote  the  circular  economy  for  textiles  and  boost  value-creating  activities  with 
the important potential to create local jobs. These rules will enhance the market for second-
hand  textiles,  supporting  the  many  social  economy  enterprises  active  in  it,  and  stimulate 
innovation  in  textiles  recycling.  Increasing  the  availability  of  used  clothes  will  create  cost-
saving  opportunities  for  citizens  in  the  EU  and  beyond,  while  also  saving  on  natural 
resources. Harmonised rules on extended producer responsibility will also facilitate the proper 
functioning of the single market and support Member States in implementing the obligation to 
collect textiles separately as of 2025 in a coherent way, so as to ensure a level playing field 
for economic operators.   

5.  Conclusions 

The  consequences  of  the  climate  and  biodiversity  crises  are  becoming  increasingly  visible, 
also in the European Union. They already affect nearly every citizen and every sector of the 
economy.  As  they  are  closely  linked,  action  is  needed  on  both  -  climate  change  and 
biodiversity loss are two sides of the same coin. While important progress has been made on 
climate  legislation,  the  same  is  necessary  on  the  Commission’s  legislative  proposals  on  the 
sustainable use of the EU’s natural resources, which has benefits at the same time for climate 
mitigation, adaptation and for biodiversity.  

The  legislative  proposals  presented  today  are  necessary  to  uphold  the  EU’s  commitment  to 
climate neutrality, as the climate and natural resources pillars of the European Green Deal are 
complementary  to  each  other.  They  also  constitute  an  important  building  block  to  ensure 
long-term  food  security  for  European  citizens.  Today’s  proposal  on  soil,  for  instance,  will 
help to deliver on the commitment to increase natural carbon sinks’ absorption capacity under 
LULUCF  as  well  as  on  the  targets  set  by  the  Nature  Restoration  Law  and  the  European 
Climate  Law,  both  flagship  proposals  under  the  climate  and  natural  resources  pillar  of  the 
Green  Deal.  Only  healthy  soils  can  store  carbon  and  provide  thriving  terrestrial  ecosystems 
that  are  more  resilient  to  droughts,  floods,  heatwaves,  and  other  climate-related  weather 
extremes, thus contributing to the EU overall resilience. Only healthy natural resources have 
the  capacity  to  ensure  our  path  towards  climate  neutrality.  The  proposed  monitoring 

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framework  and  the  relevant  data  are  essential  to  tailor  consequent  restoration  measures 
according to local needs. At the same time, this proposal is key to facilitating the monitoring 
requitements  under  LULUCF  and  the  CAP.  It  also  complements  the  proposal  for  carbon 
removal  certification.  Healthy  soils  will  increase  the  amount  of  stored  carbon  and  therefore 
the value of the related carbon credits, boosting farmers’ incomes.  

Altogether,  the  proposals  already  made  under  the  European  Green  Deal’s  natural  resources 
pillar, as completed by today’s package, are necessary to deliver on the EU’s legal obligations 
under  already  adopted  climate  legislation,  as  well  as  on  the  EU’s  multilateral  commitments 
within  the  Kunming-Montreal  Biodiversity  Framework  as  the  EU  continues  to  work  in 
cooperation with its partner countries towards a sustainable future. The Commission therefore 
calls  on  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  for  the  swift  adoption  of  the  initiatives 
under this pillar of the Green Deal.   

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