On the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the council on Soil Monitoring and Resilience (Soil Monitoring Law)
AGRI-AD-754669
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development · Rapporteur: Maria Noichl
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The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development proposes amendments to the proposed Soil Monitoring Law, focusing on flexibility, subsidiarity, and protecting agricultural interests.¶ It calls for a flexible monitoring framework, deletion of mandatory sustainable soil management principles, and reduced reporting frequency.¶¶¶ It emphasizes that measures should not impose burdens on land managers and that data should be anonymized and require landowner permission for public access.¶¶¶ It also deletes provisions on access to justice and penalties, and extends the transposition period to five years.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee proposes amendments to make the directive more flexible, reduce burdens on land managers, and align with agricultural practices.¶
Key points
- The objective is changed to a coherent and flexible monitoring framework, with soil health assessments considering intended function and technical feasibility.¶
- Sustainable soil management principles and related measures are deleted from the directive.¶¶¶
- Member States may establish soil districts, not must, and the minimum number based on NUTS 1 is deleted.¶¶
- Monitoring frequency for soil measurements and assessments is reduced from every 5 to every 10 years.¶¶
- Reporting to the Commission may be every 5 or 10 years, depending on the sampling interval.¶
- Monitoring activities must not incur financial burden for land managers.¶
- Public access to soil data requires express permission from landowners and land managers, and data must be aggregated and anonymized.¶¶¶
- Provisions on access to justice and penalties are deleted.¶¶
- The Commission's evaluation is postponed from 6 to 15 years after entry into force.¶
- Member States have 5 years instead of 2 to transpose the directive.¶
Who is affected
- Landowners and land managers: monitoring must not cost them, and their permission is needed for data disclosure.¶¶
- Farmers and foresters: sustainable soil management principles are no longer mandatory, and advice is to be accessible.¶¶
- Member States: have more flexibility in establishing soil districts and monitoring, but must report less frequently.¶¶¶