The results of soil samples must then be stored in a public register, after which neighbors and citizens can file damage claims against the polluters. A system of soil registration and clean soil declarations can also be combined with subsidies for landowners, farmers, and horticulturists.
There are more than 3 million known polluted sites across the EU, while in recent years intensive soil investigations have not even been carried out in all EU countries. The Netherlands has about 250,000 sites that may be severely polluted. Examples include (former) chemical laundries, gas stations, garages, gas factories, or agricultural land where now prohibited substances were previously used.
The proposed directive faces objections within agricultural circles. Agriculture ministers and the Dutch agricultural interest group LTO have expressed serious concerns. According to LTO-Netherlands, additional restrictions and obligations are undesirable, and the European Union should take into account the specific circumstances and needs of individual member states.
Paul Polman, the former CEO of Unilever who now campaigns for environmental issues, also called it "an important piece of legislation," but noted that healthy soils are not well defined. He hoped that 'sharper objectives' would be developed, which are moreover 'very location- and crop-specific.'
The European clean soil regulation will not be a mandatory directive and contains no performance obligations; not for 2050 nor for intermediate years. Nature organizations have called on the European Commission to set binding targets to prevent soil erosion. But Environment Commissioner Virginius Sinkevicius said Brussels first wants to ensure that soil conditions do not deteriorate further; after that comes remediation and improvement.
The next phase of the decision-making process includes the position of the ENVI environment committee of the European Parliament, which still has to determine its views on the proposal. Only after this step can trilogue negotiations with the Environment Ministers and the European Commission begin, in which further compromises and decisions are expected.