159th CoR Plenary Session (31 January - 1 February 2024)

This briefing provides an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European
Commission's impact assessment (IA) accompanying by a proposal: The IA examines the problem's nature and scale comprehensively. However, the lack of representative data causes uncertainty regarding the scale of the problem at EU level (range of 60-70 % of unhealthy soils in the EU). The IA offers a broad and realistic range of policy options and consistently presents the stakeholders' views on the problems, their drivers, the objectives and the options. It provides a comprehensive description of the options and a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of their economic, social, environmental and territorial impacts and risks of implementation.

In the European Union one in eight deaths is linked to environmental pollution. Pollution is also one of the five main causes of biodiversity loss, representing a significant cost for society. The EU has set the goal of achieving zero pollution for a non-toxic environment by 2050. This would mean reducing air, water and soil pollution to 'levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystems and respecting the boundaries the planet can cope with'. Achieving this long-term ambition will mean updating the comprehensive legal framework currently in place at EU level to address pollution in order to keep up with the latest scientific evidence. In 2022, the EU is expected to review its air quality standards to align more closely with the recently updated World Health Organization recommendations, and to look into pollutants affecting surface and groundwater. Additional areas that should be revised in parallel include key laws designed to tackle pollution at source, setting requirements for pollutant emissions from industry and vehicles, for urban wastewater treatment and sustainable use of pesticides. The key challenges in achieving the zero pollution goal remain to ensure policy coherence, compliance and enforcement.

The zero pollution vision for 2050 is for air, water and soil pollution to be reduced to levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystems, that respect the boundaries with which our planet can cope, thereby creating a toxic-free environment.

This report provides a brief overview of the contribution of selected Horizon 2020 projects to the nine flagships of the zero pollution action plan. It identifies new projects and Horizon Europe partnerships in the pipeline and raises awareness about the five EU missions and their contribution to achieving the zero pollution ambition. The report highlights the importance of making research findings accessible to a wider audience to inform policymakers, citizens and other stakeholders, thus creating more value and better solutions from knowledge.

Soil is a crucial, living natural resource, essential for our environment, economy and society. Soil is a non-renewable natural resource: it takes 500 years to create a few centimetres of topsoil. Ηundreds of thousands of species — from moles, earthworms and insects to microbes and fungi — interact and work together, in such a complex way that even science cannot even fully explain. Soils deliver a wealth of ecosystem services on which we depend to prevent disasters, mitigate climate change, ensure food security. They regulate the planet’s complex water, carbon and nutrient cycles and provide us food, feed, timber and other raw materials. But soils are under strong pressure. Over 60% of European soils are unhealthy and getting worse. They suffer from erosion, compaction, salinization, sealing, pollution, desertification and loss of organic carbon, nutrients, water and biodiversity. Costs of soil degradation in the EU have been estimated to exceed €50 billion per year.

Highlights:
- The European Union puts the concept of healthy soils at the core of the European Green Deal.
- Healthy soils contribute to achieve climate neutrality, zero pollution, sustainable food provision and resilient environment.
- 70% of EU soils are in an unhealthy condition with erosion, carbon loss, land take and contamination being major threats.
- EU Soil Strategy for 2030 targets to have all EU soil ecosystems in a healthy condition by 2050.
- The EU Soil Observatory supports the implementation of relevant EU policies (EU Soil Strategy 2030, CAP, Zero Pollution).