MONALISA Welcomes Major Step Forward: ENVI Committee Adopts Agreement on Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive

On 4 June 2025, the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) has adopted an agreement on the EU Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, also known as the EU Soil Monitoring Law, marking a critical milestone in Europe’s path toward ensuring healthy soils by 2050. The final vote concluded with 53 in favour, 27 against, and 2 abstentions.

Francesca Assennato, representing ISPRA and the MONALISA project, was present in Brussels for this important moment, underscoring MONALISA’s continued engagement in shaping science-based environmental policy.

The adoption of this law represents a major step in implementing the EU Soil Strategy, first introduced in 2021, which aims to bring all EU soils into good condition by mid-century. The directive emphasizes monitoring, resilience, and sustainable soil management, with particular relevance to Mediterranean countries facing growing land degradation and climate stress, key concerns at the heart of MONALISA’s mission.

Rather than imposing obligations, the new proposal takes a supportive and incentive-based approach, encouraging farmers and land managers to adopt soil-friendly practices through access to training, advisory services, and capacity building. This reflects months of negotiation among EU institutions, striving to balance ambition with feasibility.

The Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive sets out to:

• Establish a common EU definition of “healthy soil”
• Require Member States to monitor and assess soil health every five years
• Create a publicly accessible register of contaminated and potentially contaminated sites
• Encourage adoption of sustainable soil management practices, supported by a European toolbox
• Implement a flexible, tiered system for monitoring, allowing each country to tailor soil descriptors to its local conditions
• Set non-binding target values and operational trigger values for soil health indicators
• Promote remediation of contaminated and critically degraded soils in a stepwise, risk-based manner

While the ENVI report originally proposed mandatory timelines for soil status improvement, these were removed in the first reading in Parliament. The final version allows greater flexibility for Member States while maintaining the overarching vision.

The final plenary vote in the European Parliament is scheduled for 20 October 2025. If adopted, this law will become a cornerstone of EU environmental legislation, aligned with the European Green Deal, Biodiversity Strategy, and Farm to Fork objectives.

MONALISA strongly supports the EU’s soil health ambitions. Our project contributes by:

• Developing land degradation sensitivity maps
• Supporting evidence-based restoration strategies
• Engaging with land managers and policymakers across the Mediterranean
• Building a Community of Knowledge to inform national and regional planning

The presence at high-level policy events such as the ENVI Committee session ensures that scientific expertise from MONALISA helps inform long-term European action.

Healthy soils are the foundation of food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity. With the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Law advancing toward adoption, Europe takes a significant step toward safeguarding this vital resource and MONALISA is proud to contribute to the journey.