The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the development of a new soils strategy for the EU.

The Commission says it is seeking input from stakeholders across Europe on the challenges and opportunities regarding land and soil ecosystems in Europe, which provide food, energy and raw materials, as well as sequester carbon, purify water and regulate nutrients.

The EU’s new soils strategy is to be rolled out in 2021 and is a key part of the so-called European green deal and the EU’s Biodiversity strategy published in 2020.

New soil strategy

The European Commission said the aim of the new soils strategy will be to address soil degradation, improve soil fertility and health, increase soil organic matter and reduce soil erosion across Europe.

“A quarter of our planet’s biodiversity is present in soil. This is literally a treasure under our feet, and our food and our future depend on it,” said European Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevicius.

“We must equip the European Union with a robust soil policy that will allow us to reach our ambitious climate, biodiversity and food security goals, and step up our efforts to manage soil in a way that it can deliver for people, biodiversity and climate,” he added.

Those wishing to contribute to the public consultation for the EU’s new soils strategy can do so via the European Commission website, or by emailing ENV-SOIL@ec.europa.eu.