Soil Monitoring Law

The Soil Monitoring Law¹ (Directive (EU) 2025/2360), formally adopted on 12 November 2025, establishes the first EU-wide legal framework dedicated to the systematic monitoring and assessment of soil health and the management of contaminated sites. Its overarching objective is to ensure that all soils are in a healthy condition by 2050, enabling them to deliver essential ecosystem services, including food production, carbon sequestration, water regulation, and biodiversity support. The directive operationalises the long-term vision of the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 and represents a major step towards granting soil a level of legal protection comparable to that of air and water.

The directive introduces harmonised technical requirements for soil monitoring across the EU. It establishes the use of soil units and a coordinated grid of sampling points to generate statistically robust and comparable data on soil condition and degradation. Mandatory monitoring covers a set of physical, chemical, and biological soil descriptors, including salinisation, soil organic carbon loss, compaction, and other indicators relevant to soil fertility and resilience. The framework combines non-binding sustainable target values that define long-term soil health objectives with operational trigger values to be set at the domestic level, designed to prompt targeted support measures when soil degradation risks are identified.

A further core component of the directive is the establishment of a risk-based and stepwise approach to contaminated site management. This approach requires the systematic identification, investigation, and prioritisation of sites where anthropogenic activities have resulted in unacceptable risks to human health or the environment, followed by appropriate remediation measures. By embedding contaminated land management within a harmonised monitoring and reporting framework, the directive strengthens the evidence base for prevention, risk reduction, and long-term land restoration.