On 29th of September, the European Council formally adopted the Soil Monitoring Directive, now the European Parliament is expected to finally vote on the directive in the upcoming weeks. After its entry, member states of the EU will have three weeks to adopt the rules into national law.

Following the adoption of the EU Soil Strategy in November 2021, the Commission proposed the Soil Monitoring Directive in July 2023 to address the lack of EU legislation as a major factor for soil degradation.

The Soil Monitoring Directive depicts the first EU-wide framework for the assessment and monitoring of soils, aiming at achieving healthy soils in Europe by 2050 on a voluntary basis. Steps include the implementation of monitoring systems across the EU, thus ensuring the availability of comparable data by defining common descriptors and classes for soil health. 

The directive, statement of the Council and member states, the voting results and further information can be viewed here.