On Thursday, 23 October, the European Parliament adopted the long-awaited Soil Monitoring Law. The law obliges EU Member States to monitor soil health, support landowners in improving it, minimise the loss of healthy soil areas, and address contaminated sites.
The rapporteur for the Soil Monitoring Law, Martin Hojsík, was visibly delighted following the vote in the European Parliament on 23 October 2025. (Photo: Europa-Parlamentets Multimedia Centre.)
“Without healthy soils, there is no future – and without knowledge of their condition, we cannot protect them. I am very pleased that all Member States will finally gain better insight into the health of their soils, and that farmers will be supported in protecting and improving them.”
So said Slovenian rapporteur and Member of the European Parliament Martin Hojsík in a press release on Thursday, shortly after his colleagues in the European Parliament had voted in favour of the Soil Monitoring Law. The law requires EU Member States to monitor and assess the health of their soils – a vote that was met with great enthusiasm by the Slovenian MEP.
The law will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal. Member States will then have three years to implement the legislation.
Obligations for EU Countries to Assess Soil Health
The overarching goal is to achieve healthy European soils by 2050, in line with the EU’s “zero pollution” ambition. The law also aims to establish a more coherent and harmonised EU framework for soil monitoring.
In broad terms, the law obliges Member States to monitor soil health, assist landowners in improving it, minimise the loss of healthy soil areas, and manage contaminated sites.
Monitoring will be carried out using common soil descriptors – characterising the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of soil health for each soil type – and an EU-wide sampling methodology.
Support for landowners may include independent advice, training and capacity-building activities, promotion of research and innovation, and initiatives to raise awareness of the benefits of resilient soils.
Public Register of Contaminated Sites
In managing contaminated sites, each Member State will be required to establish a public register of potentially contaminated areas within ten years of the law’s entry into force and to address any unacceptable risks to human health and the environment.
Furthermore, a guidance list of emerging substances that may pose a significant risk to soil health, human health, or the environment – and for which data is currently lacking – will be drawn up within 18 months of the law’s entry into force. This list will include relevant PFAS substances and pesticides.
DCA has produced a PDF summarising the key elements of the Soil Monitoring Law. Download the PDF here:
If you would like to learn more about the Soil Monitoring Law, you can find the European Parliament’s press release here!