46 Amendments of Daniel BUDA related to 2023/0232(COD)
Amendment 54 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) Soil is a vital, and limited, non- renewable and irreplaceable resource that is crucial for food production, the economy, the environment and the society.
Amendment 58 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) Healthy soils are in good chemical, biological and physical condition so that they can provide ecosystem services that are vital to humans and the environment, such as safe, nutritious and sufficient food, biomass, clean water, nutrients cycling, carbon storage and a habitat for biodiversity. However, 60 to 70 % of the soils in the Union are deteriorated to a certain extent and continue to deteriorate.
Amendment 64 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 states that it is essential to step up efforts to protect and enhance soil fertility, reduce soil erosion and increase soil organic matter by adopting or maintaining sustainable soil management practices. It also states that significant progress is needed on identifying contaminated soil sites, restoring degraded soils, defining the conditions for good ecological status of soils, introducing restoration objectives, and improving the monitoring of soil health.
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) Funding is vital to enable a transition to healthy soils. The Multiannual Financial Framework presents several funding opportunities available for the protection, sustainable management and regeneration of soils. A ‘Soil Deal for Europe’ is one of the five EU missions of the Horizon Europe programme and is specifically dedicated to promoting soil health. The Soil Mission is a key instrument for the implementation of this Directive. It aims to lead the transition to healthy soils through funding an ambitious research and innovation programme, establishing a network of 100 living labs and lighthouses in rural and urban areas, advancing the development of a harmonized soil monitoring framework and increasing the awareness of the importance of soil. Other Union programmes that present objectives contributing to healthy soils are the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the Cohesion Policy funds, the Programme for Environment and Climate Action, the Horizon Europe work programme, the Technical Support Instrument, the Recovery and Resilience Facility and InvestEU. However, the main funding for farmers is available through the CAP, which is insufficient. The Commission should establish an EU- funded programme aimed at providing soil measurements, especially chemical analysis of the soil. To encourage sustainable soil management practices, the Commission should identify and propose measures to stimulate smaller farms or other farms that do not benefit from the CAP to implement such practices.
Amendment 79 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 13
Recital 13
(13) In its conclusions of 23 October 202043 , the Council supported the Commission in stepping up efforts to better protect soils and soil biodiversity, as a non-renewable resource of vital importance.. __________________ 43 Council Conclusions on Biodiversity - the need for urgent action, 12210/20.
Amendment 85 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 17
Recital 17
(17) The Commission’s Communication on safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems47 stressed that food sustainability is fundamental for food security. Healthy soils make the Union food system more resilient by providing the basis for safe, nutritious and sufficient food. __________________ 47 Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems, COM (2022) 133 final.
Amendment 89 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) It is necessary to set region-specific measures for monitoring and assessing soil health, managing soils sustainably and tackling contaminated sites to achieve healthy soils by 2050, to maintain them in healthy condition and meet the Union’s objectives on climate and biodiversity, to prevent and respond to droughts and natural disasters, to protect human health and to ensure food security and safety.
Amendment 97 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) Soil degradation impacts fertility, yields, pest resistance and nutritional food quality. Since 95 % of our food is directly or indirectly produced on soils and the global population continues to increase, it is key that this finite natural resource remains healthy to ensure food security in the long-term and secure the productivity and profitability of Union agriculture. Sustainable soil management practices maintain or enhance soil health and contribute to the sustainability and resilience of the agrifood systems.
Amendment 111 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) Addressing the region-specific pressures on soils and identifying the appropriate measures to maintain or regenerate soil health requires that the variety of soil types, the specific local and climatic conditions and the land use or the land cover is taken into account. It is therefore appropriate that Member States establish soil districts. Soil districts should constitute the basic governance units to manage soils and to take measures to comply with the requirements laid down in this Directive, in particular with regard to the monitoring and assessment of soil health. The number, geographic extent and boundaries of soil districts for each Member State should be determined in order to facilitate the implementation of Regulation (UE) …/…. of the European Parliament and of the Council48 . There should be a minimum number of soil districts in each Member State taking into account the size of the Member State. This minimum number of soil districts for each Member State shall correspond to the number of NUTS 1 territorial units established in Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council49 . __________________ 48 +OP please insert in the text the number of the Regulation on the carbon removal certification contained in document COM(2022) 672 final and insert the number, date, title and OJ reference of that Directive in the footnote. 49 Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003 on the establishment of a common classification of territorial units for statistics (NUTS) (OJ L 154, 21.6.2003, p. 1).
Amendment 118 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 27
Recital 27
(27) In order to describe soil degradation it is necessary to establish soil descriptors that can be measured or estimated. Even if there is significant variability between soil types, climatic conditions and land uses, the current scientific knowledge allows to set criteria at Union level for some of those soil descriptors. However, Member States should be able to adapt the criteria for some of these soil descriptors based on specific national or local conditions and define the criteria for other soil descriptors for which common criteria at EU level cannot be established at this stage. For those descriptors for which clear criteria that would distinguish between healthy and unhealthy condition cannot be identified now, only monitoring and assessment are required. This will facilitate the development of such criteria in futureThe overall assessment of soil health should be based on a Soil Health Index that would encompass multiple indicators for each soil type present in the Union, reflecting the overall health and quality of each soil type and taking into account its functions. The Commission should define such criteria through a delegated act.
Amendment 125 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 30
Recital 30
(30) Soil is a limited resource subject to an ever-growing competition for different uses. LNatural land, semi natural land, agricultural productive land, or artificial land deliver different ecosystem functions or differences in quantity and quality of such functions. Land-use change, the change of one land use to another will lead to changes in ecosystem provisioning and soil health characteristics. Land use change, including land take is a process often driven by economic development needs, that. Land take transforms natural and, semi- natural areas (including extensively used agricultural and forestry land, gardens and parks) and agricultural productive land into artificial land development, using soil as a platform for constructions and infrastructure, as a direct source of raw material or as archive for historic patrimony. This transformation may cause the loss, often irreversibly, of the capacity of soils to provide other ecosystem services (provision of food and biomass, water and nutrients cycling, basis for biodiversity and carbon storage). In particular, land take often affects the most fertile agricultural soils, putting food security in jeopardy. Sealed soil also exposes human settlements to higher flood peaks and more intense heat island effects. Other land use change, such as the conversion of natural land, semi natural land or productive agricultural land into another category can also affect the provision of ecosystem services. Changing natural land into semi natural or productive agricultural land can, but not always, negatively impacts biodiversity while it can contribute to security of agricultural production. Changing agricultural lands into natural land can on the other hand positively impact biodiversity. If at the same time productivity increases on existing land security of agricultural production can be maintained. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor land use change, including land take and soil sealing, and their effects on soil’s capacity to provide ecosystem services. It is also appropriate to lay down certain principles to mitigatanage the impacts of land takuse change as part of sustainable soil management.
Amendment 168 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 53
Recital 53
(53) The Commission should carry out an evidence-based evaluation and, where relevant, a revision of this Directive, 6 years after its entry into force on the basis of the results of the soil health assessment. The evaluation should assess in particular the need to set more specific requirements to make sure unhealthydegraded soils are regenerated and the objective to achieve healthy soils by 2050 is achieved. The evaluation should also assess the need to adapt the definition of healthy soils to scientific and technical progress by adding provisions on certain descriptors or criteria based on new scientific evidence relating to the protection of soils or on the grounds of a problem specific to a Member State arising from new environmental or climatic circumstances. Pursuant to paragraph 22 of the Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Law-Making, that evaluation should be based on the criteria of efficiency, effectiveness, relevance, coherence and EU value added and should provide the basis for impact assessments of possible further measures.
Amendment 181 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1
Article 1 – paragraph 1
1. The objective of the Directive is to put in place a solid and coherent soil monitoring framework for all soils across the EU and to continuously improve soil health in the Union with the view to achieve healthy soils by 2050 and maintain soils in healthy condition, so that they can supply multiple ecosystem services at a scale sufficient to meet environmental, societal and economic needs, ensure the delivery of sufficient, high-quality and nutritious food to maintain food security for a growing population, prevent and mitigate the impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, increase the resilience against natural disasters and for food securityor anthropic disasters and that soil contamination is reduced to levels no longer considered harmful to human health and the environment.
Amendment 187 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 1 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. This Directive contributes to fulfilling international and Union commitments, including: (a) to combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation neutral world by 2030; (b) to reduce erosion, increase soil organic carbon, and progress with remedial work; (c) to manage land sustainably in the Union, protect soils adequately, and make sure that the remediation of contaminated sites is well underway; (d) to bolster food security and enhance EU's strategic autonomy by safeguarding soil health and fertility, ensuring consistent access to nutritious food. Healthy soils support resilient ecosystems, which are essential in the face of changing climate conditions, and in providing EU citizens with safe and sustainable food sources.
Amendment 204 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 3
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 3
(3) ‘ecosystem services’ means indirectpositive contributions of ecosystems to the economic, social, cultural and other benefits that people derive from those ecosystems;
Amendment 214 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 4
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 4
(4) ‘soil health’ means the physical, chemical and biological condition of the soil determining its capacity to function as a vital living system and to provide characteristic ecosystem services;
Amendment 231 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 17
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point 17
(17) ‘land take’ means the increase of settlement areas over time, and the consumption of land for future and current use for housing, industrial and commercial purposes, health care, education, nursing infrastructure, roads and rail networks, recreation (parks and sports grounds), etc. In land use planning, it corresponds to all land uses beyond agriculture, semi-natural areas, forestry, and water bodies. the conversion of natural and semi-natural land into artificial land;
Amendment 271 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 4 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The Commission shall provide scientific input and assistance to Member States in establishing soil districts throughout their territory, upon request.
Amendment 272 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 4 – paragraph 2 b (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. The Commission shall actively support Member States in complying with their obligation to ensure a coherent cross border approach is taken for soil districts, and shall facilitate harmonization of monitoring systems, transfer functions, monitoring design and classification of ecological status at the level of the soil descriptors listed in Annex I.
Amendment 273 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 5 – paragraph 1
Article 5 – paragraph 1
Member States shall designate the competent authorities responsible at an appropriate level for carrying out the duties laid down in this Directive. Competent authorities pertaining to different Member States shall ensure efficient cross-border cooperation for soil districts at bordering a neighbouring Member State, in order to carry out the duties laid down in this Directive.
Amendment 288 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Article 6 – paragraph 2
2. Member States shall assess and monitor soil health and land take in each soil district.
Amendment 297 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 6 – paragraph 5
Article 6 – paragraph 5
5. The Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) shall leverage existing space-based data and products, such as the Farm Sustainability Tool1a (FaST), delivered under the Copernicus component of the EU Space Programme established by Regulation (EU) 2021/696 to explore and develop soil remote sensing products, to support the Member States in monitoring the relevant soil descriptors. The Commission shall assist Member States to implement the FaST digital services platform for the generation, use and re-use of solutions for a competitive agriculture based on space data and appropriate plot-specific, sustainable soil management practices. __________________ 1a www.fastplatform.eu
Amendment 304 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1
When monitoring and assessing soil health, Member States shall apply minimum of five the soil descriptors and soil health that best illustrate soil characteristics in each soil type on a national level health criteria listed in Annex I.
Amendment 310 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 2
2. Member States may adapt the soil descriptors and the soil health criteria referred to in part A of Annex I, in accordance with the national specifications referred to in the second and third columns in part A of Annex Ion soil health.
Amendment 333 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 8 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
Article 8 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
Member States shall ensure that the value of the land take and soil sealing indicators are updated at least every 3 years.
Amendment 370 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 3 a (new)
Article 9 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 3 a (new)
The Commission shall define a Soil Health Index for every type of soil present in the Union through a delegated act during the monitoring period of this Directive. The Soil Health Index shall serve as an alternative comprehensive metric for assessing the overall health and quality of soil, taking into consideration multiple indicators that reflect the overall health status and quality of the soil. Member States shall integrate the Soil Health Index into their national monitoring and reporting systems as required by this Directive.
Amendment 376 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 4
Article 9 – paragraph 4
4. Based on the assessment of soil health carried out in accordance with this Article, the competent authority shall, where relevant in coordination with land owners and managers, local, regional, national authorities, identify, in each soil district, the areas which present unhealthy soils and inform the public in accordance with Article 19.
Amendment 389 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
Article 9 – paragraph 5 – subparagraph 2
The Commission mayshall adopt implementing acts to harmonise the format of soil health certification. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 21.
Amendment 396 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 9 – paragraph 6
Article 9 – paragraph 6
6. Member States shall communicate soil health data and assessment referred to in Articles 6 to 9 to the relevant land owners and land managers upon their request, in particular to support the development of the advice referred to in Article 10(3).
Amendment 406 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point a
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point a
(a) defining national or regional sustainable soil management practices respecting the sustainable soil management principles listed in Annex III to be gradually implemenadopted on all managed soils and, on the basis of the outcome of the soil assessments carried out in accordance with Article 9, regeneration practices to be gradually implemented on the unhealthy soils in the Member States;. In order for farmers to gradually adopt more sustainable soil management practices, Member States shall identify and provide incentives, such as financial assistance, soil-sampling opportunities or tailored counselling through farm advisory systems.
Amendment 419 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point a a (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point a a (new)
(aa) Member States shall consider the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs) referred to in Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 as sustainable soil management practices.
Amendment 421 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point b
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point b
(b) defining soil management practices and other practices affecting negatively the soil health to be avoided by soil managers. Soil management practices that reduce yield and threaten food security shall not be included in this category.
Amendment 467 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – point a – introductory part
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – point a – introductory part
(a) avoid or reduce as much as technically and economically possible the loss of the capacity of the soil to provide multiple ecosystem services, including food agricultural, forestry, and horticultural production, by:
Amendment 510 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 1
Article 12 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall manage the risks for human health and the environment of potentially contaminated sites and contaminated sites, and keep them to acceptable levels, taking account of the environmental, social and economic impacts of the soil contamination and of the risk reduction measures taken pursuant to Article 15 paragraph 4. Additional funding will have to be provided to finance implementation of risk reduction measures of potentially contaminated sites and contaminated sites, and to compensate the losses of farmers who are not responsible for soil contamination.
Amendment 537 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 15 – paragraph 2
Article 15 – paragraph 2
2. Member States shall define what constitutes an unacceptable risk for human health and the environment resulting from contaminated sites by taking into account existing scientific and traditional knowledge, the precautionary principle, local specificities, and current and future land use, especially in the case of agricultural, horticultural, or forestry production.
Amendment 546 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 15 – paragraph 5 a (new)
Article 15 – paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Upon assessment of the risk and risk remediation measures as referred to in the previous paragraph, the competent authority shall assess the impact of those measures taken on productive agricultural, forestry, or horticultural soils and their conventional and organic practices.
Amendment 560 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 17 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 17 – paragraph 1 a (new)
The Commission shall identify and publish on a yearly basis Union financial programs available and accessible for Member States to use for the implementation of the provisions of this Directive.
Amendment 562 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 17 – paragraph 1 b (new)
Article 17 – paragraph 1 b (new)
The Commission shall monitor the capacity of Member States to absorb Union funds related to sustainable soil management and soil health, and report the monitoring results to the European Parliament every year.
Amendment 564 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 17 – paragraph 1 c (new)
Article 17 – paragraph 1 c (new)
The European Commission shall establish within 2 years of the entry into force of this Directive an EU-funded program aimed at providing chemical soil analysis upon request.
Amendment 565 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – introductory part
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – introductory part
Member States shall electronically report the following data and information to the Commission and to the EEA every 5 years or 10 years depending on soil health status:
Amendment 569 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point c – point i
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 – point c – point i
(i) implementing voluntary sustainable soil management principles in accordance with Article 10;
Amendment 593 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 20 – paragraph 2
Article 20 – paragraph 2
2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 8, 9, 10, 15 and 16 shall be conferred on the Commission for an indeterminate period of time from the date of entry into force of this Directive.
Amendment 596 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 20 – paragraph 3
Article 20 – paragraph 3
3. The delegation of power referred to in Articles 8, 9, 10, 15 and 16 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.
Amendment 613 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 23 – paragraph 2
Article 23 – paragraph 2
Amendment 655 #
Proposal for a directive
Annex II – Part C – indent 2 a (new)
Annex II – Part C – indent 2 a (new)
– The establishment of new farms or the development of existing farms should be exempt from being categorized as soil sealing.
Amendment 678 #
Proposal for a directive
Annex III – paragraph 1 – point e
Annex III – paragraph 1 – point e
(e) when fertilization is applied, ensure adaptation to the needs of the plant and trees at the given location and in the given period, and to the condition of soil and prioritize circular solutions that enrich the organic contentimprove nutrient use efficiency;