The European Commission provides support to the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) and the European Soil Partnership (ESP). It has allocated €1 million in funding to the GSP from 2019-2020 and €150,000 to support various ESP activities. The Commission aims to link ESP and EU policies through initiatives related to soil protection, research, monitoring, and awareness raising. Key policy priorities include implementing soil-related UN Sustainable Development Goals, developing potential new EU soil policy initiatives, integrating soil considerations in the new Common Agricultural Policy and climate policies, and better synergies between international soil initiatives. Ongoing soil degradation challenges in the EU include loss of soil organic carbon, erosion, contamination, and sealing.

1. European projects and activities
European Commission, DG ENV
Josiane Masson Unit Land Use and Management (D1)
DG Environment - European Commission
ESP Plenary meeting, Rome, 28-
29 March 2019

2. Support to GSP and ESP
• DG ENV is NFP for the EU
• EU main donor of GSP since 2014 – 3rd phase
2019-2020 EUR 1 Mio. Financing from DEVCO –
GPGC programme subdelegated to DG ENV
• Support to GSP Secretary activities
• Support to ITPS
• Support to capacity building ext EU
• Financial support to ESP – 150 K EUR
• Pillar 1 – contract to WUR
• Pillar 2 – Summer school
• Pillars 4 and 5

3. Links ESP and EU policies
• Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection COM(2006)231 -
Overall objective: protection of soil functions and
sustainable use of soil, based on prevention and restoration
• Links ESP and the 3 non-binding pillars of STS
• Awareness raising: IYS2015, organisation of
conferences on soil for WSD
• EU-funded research projects (H2020, preparation of
Horizon Europe 2020+) – funding opportunities
• LIFE/LIFE+: 147 projects on Soil Protection
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/pdf/LIFE%20and%20Soil%20protection.pdf
• Monitoring – EU soil data collection and analysis
(LUCAS 2018 and 2021), EEA/EIONET Copernicus Land
Monitoring – contribution to Global soil maps
Awareness
raising
Research
Legislation
Integration
in other
policies

4. Policy priorities
• Implementation of soil and land-related SDGs –
Land Degradation neutrality (15.3)
• DG ENV launched a contract in 2019 – Conference
end of 2019
• EU soil policy – potential new initiative
• New CAP reform post 2020 – including soil
protection (erosion, SOM) and soil management
(cross-compliance, eco-ecoschemes) – MS subsidiary
• Climate change LULUCF and adaptation –
importance of soil carbon sequestration
• Integration soil in other policies: research, regional
policies (urban development, remediation of
contaminated sites)

5. Policy priorities
• Intégration of soil in the international policy agenda
• UNCCD COP 14 in India 2019 – LDN reports
• CBD COP 2020 in China – new global BD strategy -
need to enhance the importance of soil BD and soil
ecosystem services
• IPBES Land Degradation and Restoration Assessment
2018
• UNFCCC – new IPCC report on climate change and
land – raising importance of SOC sequestration
• Priority on SOC linked to SDGs and Rio Conventions
• UNEA3 – resolution on soil pollution – GSP
contribution, follow-up needed
• G20 and G7
• Better synergies needed between various initiatives

6. Challenges in the EU
• Continuous trend of soil and land degradation
• Variable types of degradation depending on
regions
• 45% soil low or very low soil organic carbon
mainly in Southern EU
• Degradation of peat lands in Northern EU
• 22% soil affected by soil erosion
• Local soil contamination 2.5 Mio sites
• Soil sealing 845 km2/yr
• Desertification in Southern, Central and Eastern
EU
• Salinization due to bad irrigation practices

7. Thank you for your
attention!
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/soil/index_en.htm