Eighth GSP Plenary Assembly | 3 - 5 June 2020, online.

1. Elena Havlicek
ESP Secretary

2. European Soil Partnership (EASP: see separate report)
ESP Steering Committee meeting (Nov. 2019)
• new ESP Implementation Plan (post 2020)
> Less ambitious/detailed than the IP 2017-2020 in terms of objectives
and deliverables, but more ambitious/detailed in the descriptions of
governance, the way of working and the mobilization of resources. It
should be explicitly described in the IP how ESP activities contribute to
GSP activities.
• Renewal of the SC
> Proposal to change the composition of the ESP-SC by adding new
members: one seat for a National Focal Point representative; one seat
for sub-regional soil partnerships (e.g. the AlpSP); one seat for the
European Commission DG ENV as special supporting partner (to be
submitted to the ESP Plenary)
ESP Plenary Meeting > postponed to Sept. 2020

3. ESP Pillars Working Groups
• Pillar 1
> Report Guidance for Sustainable Soil Management of Agricultural Soils.
Part I: Integrated practices and support links (sponsored by DG Env),
should serve also GSP P1.
• Pillar 2
> Organisation of a conference in conjunction with the European Network
for Soil Awareness
• Pillar 3
> Prioritization of 14 integrated research needs and 19 thematic research
needs with relevance to soil research as identified by the EU
INSPIRATION project (ongoing)
> Involvement of (some) ESP partners in preparing a proposal focusing on
EC topic FNR-04-2020: Towards a European research and innovation
roadmap on soils and land management
• Pillars 4 & 5
> Linked to GSP P4 and 5 activities

4. ESP contribution to GSP projects
• NFPs (or nominated experts) and ESP secretariat
> GSP surveys: Global Assessment of Soil Pollution report, Protocol for
the assessment of SSM, Assessment of the global status of soil
biodiversity
• SoilLEX platform
> Synergy with the existing similar EU platform
• VGSSM
> Translation into Portuguese (NSP Portugal): useful outcome for other
Portuguese-speaking countries. Also translation into local language by
Ukrainian and Turkish partners (EASP).
Alpine Soil Partnership
• The AlpSP (about 90 members) has established a collaboration with the
Alpine Convention (Soil Protection WG)