After lengthy negotiations, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States have reached an agreement on the Soil Monitoring Law. The Directive aims to ensure that by 2050 all soils in Europe are in good condition.
For the drinking water sector, a healthy soil is of crucial importance. About 60% of Dutch drinking water comes from groundwater, and soil quality is directly linked to groundwater quality. Vewin therefore welcomes the fact that an agreement has finally been reached, but would have liked to see more ambition.
The Directive now recognises that healthy soils contribute to public health and provides a protective function for groundwater intended for drinking water through natural filtration. The prioritisation of areas with contaminated soils where water is abstracted for drinking water production, and the monitoring of pollutants such as PFAS, pesticides and microplastics, are positive developments.
On the other hand, the original proposal as presented by the European Commission included binding targets for soil health for Member States, but the final text contains only non-binding goals.
Amendments in the Directive
Together with the European umbrella organisation EurEau, Vewin has supported the proposal for the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive from the start. Vewin and EurEau have advocated for a clear emphasis on the importance of groundwater and the direct link between soil and groundwater in the objectives, scope and definitions of the Directive. This advocacy led to concrete amendments being included in the Directive via the European Parliament. The most important ones are:
- Potentially contaminated sites located in areas used for the abstraction of water for human consumption shall be taken into account in the prioritisation for the purpose of soil investigation.
- The risk reduction measures should not have a negative impact on the risk assessment and risk management of the catchment areas for abstraction points of water intended for human consumption.
Vewin considers the Directive a step forward in the protection of groundwater, but emphasises that more ambition is needed.
Read Vewin’s full position on the European Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive.