EU Soil Strategy for 2030

The EU Soil Strategy for 2030¹ establishes the EU’s policy framework for the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of soils, with the overarching objective of achieving healthy soils by 2050. It recognises soil as a finite and non-renewable resource that underpins food security, biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, and human health. The strategy envisages that by mid-century, soil ecosystems will be resilient, sustainably managed, and no longer pose risks to human health or the environment, thereby contributing to the EU’s ambition of a toxic-free environment.

The strategy defines a set of medium-term objectives to be achieved by 2030, aligned with international commitments and EU environmental policies. These include combating desertification and land degradation in line with the objective of land degradation neutrality under Sustainable Development Goal 15.3², restoring significant areas of degraded land and carbon-rich ecosystems, and reducing nutrient losses by at least 50% alongside a 50% reduction in the use and risk of chemical pesticides. The strategy also prioritises substantial progress in the identification and remediation of contaminated sites, addressing both historical industrial pollution and ongoing pressures from intensive land use.