Debate: Soil protection
Date: MONDAY, 26 APRIL 2021
Speaker: Martin Hojsík
Country: Finland
Language: EN

Our own European Environmental Agency very clearly says that: ‘The absence of suitable EU soil legislation contributes to the soil degradation within Europe. (…) The lack of a comprehensive and coherent soil policy framework for protecting Europe’s land and soil resources is the key gap that reduces the effectiveness of the existing incentives and measures’ and limits the ability to achieve our goals including the European Green Deal and climate neutrality. So again, Europe is not on track to protect its limited soil resources based on the existing strategies. And, what’s more, a number of threats to the soil like compaction, like salinisation, like soil sealing are not even addressed in the EU legislation at all. And due to that, we are failing to meet our international obligations, for example with the sustainable development goals. We hear a lot about chemicals and about biodiversity, but I want to point out one particular problem with the soil and that is that we are losing carbon from the soil.  We are losing carbon and adding to greenhouse gas emissions where soil could be an amazing carbon sink, a natural carbon sink, just when we do things right and change our agricultural policies. And there is no soil without life; they are inseparable. The living beings make the soil alive. They make the difference between just a mass of mineral particles. Yet we are destroying this life. We are destroying this life with overuse of hazardous pesticides, with overuse of nitrates or other synthetic fertilisers. Protecting soil means protecting life. As a result of the political squabbling in the past we have lost the chance to have the legal framework for soil so far, but I hope that the times are changing. The planned revision of the Soil Thematic Strategy from 2006 is a great and welcome step from the Commission but it is not enough. It is our responsibility to correct the past mistakes and conserve the soil for future generations. We therefore call on the Commission to work with the Members States on closing the gaps in soil protection by proposing an EU-wide common legal framework, of course with the full respect of the subsidiarity principle, for the protection and suitable use of soil. A legal framework that will address all main soil threats, include criteria for its good status and measurable targets, clarify the responsibilities of stakeholders and last, but not least, ensure policy coherence, so the left hand knows what the right hand is doing. And often that is not happening.  We believe that the overarching policy at EU level with clear definitions will not only bring many opportunities for landowners and ensure a well-functioning internal market, but most importantly it will ensure that there is life on the planet and there is food on our tables. So I would really like to ask the Council if, in the context of the objectives of the EU on climate change and biodiversity, does the Council overall support a common EU legal framework for soil protection at EU level and commit to prevent further degradation and to treating soil as a common resource and an ecosystem? And what actions is the Council considering in order to facilitate a future EU legal framework for soil protection? And to the Commission, what are the main challenges you see to adequate soil protection within the EU, and how would the challenges benefit from a common approach, noting also the private ownership of land? How do you plan to battle the loss of organic matter in soil, the degradation and desertification? Will the Commission propose new legislation on soil protection and its sustainable use? What elements would such legislation include? And is the Commission planning to include financial instruments and technical support as part of its proposal? Because it’s not only about telling the farmers, for example, but landowners in general, what to do, it’s also about giving them the proper tools and the means to deliver.