Final CUP4SOIL Project Meeting, 23.09.2025, online
Abstract
This data package contains the agenda, all presentations and the video recording of the panel discussion. The objective of the online meeting is: to present and discuss the CUP4SOIL results we have achieved during the 2,5 years of the project time and to outline the demand for future soil information products on the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service to support the Soil Monitoring Directive and other soil-related service The aim is to reach professionals active in the soil information and/or Earth Observation domain, working at governmental, scientific and commercial organizations.
Full text
Directive on Soil Monitoring & Resilience (Soil Monitoring Law) 23 September 2025 CUP4SOIL Bavo Peeters DG ENV.D1 Land Use & Management
Soil degradation not sufficiently addressed in EU
Process and timeline Date Step 17 November 2021 EU Soil Strategy for 2030: here 16 March 2022 Call for evidence closed: here 24 October 2022 Public consultation closed: here 5 July 2023 Commission proposal: here 10 April 2024 First reading European Parliament: here 9 June 2024 European elections 17 June 2024 Council general approach: here 10 April 2025 Provisional political agreement: here 21 May 2025 Endorsement by Coreper I (Council) 4 June 2025 Endorsement by ENVI Committee (Parliament)
•Soil districts, soil units & competent authorities •Soil descriptors & healthy soil criteria •Methodologies for sample survey and analysis of descriptors •EU support through LUCAS soil survey and portal •Regular cycles with reporting Monitoring & assessment
•Monitoring of: Soil sealing and removal indicators (at least every 3 years) Other soil descriptors (every 6y) •Through Copernicus and other available data sources (e.g. national inventories) •Integration in the digital soil health data portal •Possibility for the Commission to adapt annex II Remote sensing
•Advice, training, capacity building •Awareness and public engagement •Research and innovation •Local information based on soil health assessments •Map available funding and needs •Synergies with other EU policies Support for soil health and resilience
•In line with land take hierarchy •Focus on new soil sealing and soil removal •Application at appropriate level •MS competence for spatial planning •Effort-based •No new permitting procedures or prohibiting of activities Land take mitigation principles
•Point-source anthropogenic contamination •Identification (10y) and investigation of potentially contaminated sites •Site-specific risk assessment of contaminated sites •Risk reduction measures for sites with unacceptable risks •Public register and public involvement Contaminated sites (1)
Member States should establish: •Risk-based and stepwise approach •Hierarchy of responsibility •List of potentially contaminating activities •List of events that trigger soil investigation •Rules for soil investigation •Methodology for site-specific risk assessment •Definition of unacceptable risk for human health & environment Contaminated sites (2)