In this report, launched on 26 September 2018, the European Academies’ Science Advisory Council (EASAC), which represents the national science academies of the EU, Norway, and Switzerland, says its latest synthesis reveals that policy-makers need to grasp opportunities to safeguard Europe’s soils and ensure their sustainability.
Back in 2014, insufficient support among Member States obliged the European Commission to withdraw proposals for a Soils Directive and Europe still lacks appropriate benchmarks for soils’ sustainability and needs to improve compatibility between different national monitoring systems.
In recent comments, Elisabeth Köstinger from the Austrian Presidency of the EU discussed the importance of protecting soils; however, concerted action from Member States remains to be seen.