Recitals
- Recital (1)Soil is a vital, limited resource and is considered non-renewable and irreplaceable on a human time-scale. It is crucial for the economy,…
- Recital (2)Healthy soils are soils that are in good chemical, biological and physical condition and which can therefore provide ecosystem services…
- Recital (3)Soils also provide other services, such as acting as a physical platform for infrastructure and for human activities, being a source of raw…
- Recital (4)Soil degradation affects ecosystem services provided by soils, with a negative impact on human health and on the environment. Soil…
- Recital (5)Soil degradation costs the Union tens of billions of euro every year. Soil health impacts the provision of ecosystem services that have a…
- Recital (6)The Commission communication of 11 December 2019 entitled The European Green Deal set out an ambitious roadmap to transform the Union into…
- Recital (7)The Union is committed to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Healthy…
- Recital (8)The Union and its Member States, as parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, approved by Council Decision…
- Recital (9)The Union and its Member States, as parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those countries experiencing…
- Recital (10)In the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), approved by Council Decision 94/69/EC, land and soil…
- Recital (11)The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 states that it is essential to step up efforts to protect soil fertility, reduce soil erosion and…
- Recital (12)The EU Soil Strategy for 2030 sets the long-term vision that, by 2050, all Union soil ecosystems are in a healthy condition and are thus…
- Recital (13)Funding is vital to enable a transition to healthy soils. The 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework, laid down in Council Regulation…
- Recital (14)In the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, the Commission announced it would submit a legislative proposal on soil health to enable the objectives…
- Recital (15)In its conclusions of 23 October 2020, the Council supported the Commission in stepping up efforts to better protect soils and soil…
- Recital (16)Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council sets out a binding objective of climate neutrality in the Union by…
- Recital (17)The EU Climate Adaptation Strategy underlined that using nature-based solutions inland, including the restoration of the sponge-like…
- Recital (18)The Zero Pollution Action Plan sets out the vision for 2050 that air, water and soil pollution is reduced to levels no longer considered…
- Recital (19)The Commission communication of 23 March 2022 entitled Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems stressed…
- Recital (20)It is necessary to set measures for Union-wide harmonised monitoring and assessment of, and support for, soil health and soil resilience…
- Recital (21)Soils host more than 25 % of all biodiversity and are the second-largest carbon pool on the planet. On account of their ability to capture…
- Recital (22)Soil organic matter is crucial for the provision of soil ecosystem services and functions, as it reduces soil degradation such as erosion…
- Recital (23)Floods, wildfires and extreme weather events are natural disaster risks of the highest concern across Europe. The concerns regarding…
- Recital (24)Soil health contributes directly to human health and well-being. Healthy soils provide safe and nutritious food, and have the ability to…
- Recital (25)Soil degradation impacts soil fertility, yields, pest resistance and nutritional food quality. Since 95 % of our food is directly or…
- Recital (26)The aspirational long-term objective of this Directive is to achieve healthy soils by 2050. In light of the limited knowledge regarding the…
- Recital (27)Addressing the pressures on soils and supporting soil health and soil resilience require that certain characteristics be taken into…
- Recital (28)To design the sampling survey for soil monitoring, Member States will need to take into account their soil districts and soil units. In…
- Recital (29)In order to ensure appropriate governance in relation to soils, Member States should be required to designate the competent authorities…
- Recital (30)Member States should be allowed to designate the appropriate competent authority for carrying out the obligations provided for in this…
- Recital (31)In order to have a common understanding of healthy soil condition, it is necessary to establish a minimum common set of measurable criteria…
- Recital (32)In order to describe soil degradation, it is necessary to establish common soil descriptors that can be measured or estimated. Even if…
- Recital (33)The criteria for healthy soil condition of the soil descriptors should be divided into non-binding sustainable target values and…
- Recital (34)Some soils have special characteristics, either because they are atypical by nature and constitute rare habitats for biodiversity or unique…
- Recital (35)Similarly to its aspirational long-term objective to achieve healthy soils by 2050, and with a view to contributing to the objectives of…
- Recital (36)Without prejudice to Member States’ competence for taxation and to the polluter pays principle, the provisions concerning soil health…
- Recital (37)Soil is a limited resource subject to ever-growing competition for different uses. Land take is a process which causes a modification of…
- Recital (38)Among the land take aspects, the growth of settlement areas is a process often driven by economic development needs, which entails a land…
- Recital (39)Soils in settlement areas that are not sealed, and in densely populated urban areas in particular, are as important to monitor and manage…
- Recital (40)Soil sealing and soil removal, as part of the soil artificialisation aspect of land take, are different from the growth of settlements, as…
- Recital (41)With regard to renewable energy sites, Member States can qualify the soil as sealed, as soil in an area that underwent soil removal or as…
- Recital (42)Mitigation is essential as regards the impact of soil sealing and soil removal in general. Therefore, it is appropriate to lay down certain…
- Recital (43)The soil health assessment based on the monitoring network should be accurate, while at the same time keeping the costs of such monitoring…
- Recital (44)Soil archives store a representative subset of soil samples, which makes it possible to use one sample for various purposes, including…
- Recital (45)The Commission should assist and support Member States, at their request, in monitoring their soil health by continuing to carry out and…
- Recital (46)The Commission is developing remote-sensing services in the context of Copernicus as a user-driven programme established by Regulation (EU)…
- Recital (47)Building on and upgrading the existing EU Soil Observatory, the Commission should establish a digital soil health data portal that should…
- Recital (48)It is also necessary to improve the harmonisation of soil monitoring systems used in the Member States and exploit the synergies between…
- Recital (49)It is important to use methodologies for soil testing that are certified by internationally recognised bodies, such as the International…
- Recital (50)In order to ensure that soils are protected from contamination by substances that have the potential to cause significant risks to human…
- Recital (51)It is necessary to gather data on the presence of soil contaminants that could pose a risk to human health and the environment, including…
- Recital (52)Microplastics and nanoplastics are substances that can pose a risk to soil health and also to essential activities such as agricultural…
- Recital (53)In order to make the widest possible use of soil health data generated by the monitoring carried out under this Directive, Member States…
- Recital (54)The results of the soil health assessments carried out under this Directive will inform the process of identifying the specific practices…
- Recital (55)Economic instruments, including those under the CAP that provide support to farmers, have a crucial role in maintaining and improving soil…
- Recital (56)Pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Member States are to describe in their CAP strategic…
- Recital (57)Member States should be required to closely monitor the impact of the support for soil health and soil resilience, taking into account new…
- Recital (58)Soil regeneration brings degraded soils back to a healthy condition. In the context of soil regeneration, the results of the soil health…
- Recital (59)To ensure synergies between the different measures adopted under other Union law that could have an impact on soil health, Member States…
- Recital (60)Contaminated sites are often the legacy of decades of activities in the Union, such as industrial or military activities, and can lead to…
- Recital (61)Soil investigation needs to determine whether a potentially contaminated site is in fact contaminated, and whether the contamination poses…
- Recital (62)As the number of potentially contaminated sites and contaminated sites could be very high and the level of risk that a contaminated site…
- Recital (63)To identify potentially contaminated sites, Member States should collect evidence, including through historical research that explores…
- Recital (64)In order to ensure that soil investigations on potentially contaminated sites are carried out in a timely and effective manner, Member…
- Recital (65)Flexibility with regard to the management of contaminated sites is necessary to take account of costs, benefits and local specificities.…
- Recital (66)Natural and anthropogenic background levels should be taken into account in the risk assessment as they could also help to set soil…
- Recital (67)The results of the cost-benefit analysis of undertaking site-specific risk assessment or soil remediation should be positive. For instance,…
- Recital (68)In order to reduce to an acceptable level the risks of contaminated sites for human health and the environment, Member States should ensure…
- Recital (69)The investigation of potentially contaminated sites and the management of contaminated sites should respect the polluter pays,…
- Recital (70)Soil contamination is already regulated under Union law such as Directives 2010/75/EU or 2004/35/EC of the European Parliament and of the…
- Recital (71)Soil investigations, risk assessments or risk reduction measures that have been carried out on potentially contaminated sites or…
- Recital (72)Measures taken pursuant to this Directive should also take account of other Union policy objectives, such as the objectives pursued by…
- Recital (73)Transparency is an essential component of soil policy and ensures public accountability and awareness, fair market conditions and that…
- Recital (74)Article 19(1), second subparagraph, of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) requires Member States to provide remedies sufficient to ensure…
- Recital (75)As clarified by the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, Member States are not permitted to restrict legal standing to…
- Recital (76)Directive (EU) 2019/1024 mandates the release of public sector information in free and open formats. The overall objective of Directive…
- Recital (77)It is also important that the provisions of this Directive related to data-sharing arrangements enable Member States to reuse existing data…
- Recital (78)In order to ensure the necessary adaptation of the rules on soil health monitoring and management of contaminated sites, the power to adopt…
- Recital (79)In order to ensure uniform conditions for the implementation of this Directive, implementing powers should be conferred on the Commission…
- Recital (80)To support Member States in carrying out their obligations under this Directive, the Commission should, in cooperation with the Member…
- Recital (81)In addition to drawing up documents and developing scientific tools, the Commission should organise regular exchanges of information,…
- Recital (82)By 17 June 2033, the Commission should carry out an evidence-based evaluation and, where relevant, a revision of this Directive, on the…
- Recital (83)Coordinated measures by all Member States are necessary to achieve the vision of all soils being healthy by 2050 and to secure the…
- Recital (84)The European Data Protection Supervisor was consulted in accordance with Article 42(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European…
- Recital (85)In accordance with the Joint Political Declaration of 28 September 2011 of Member States and the Commission on explanatory documents,…
Text as published in the Official Journal; for the authentic version, see EUR-Lex.
