Europe
Soil Framework Directive
Negotiations are currently underway for the development of an EU Soil Framework Directive (SFD), aimed at ensuring the protection and sustainable use of soil, preventing soil degradation and restoring degraded soil. The introduction of the SFD follows the publication in September 2006 of the EU Commission's Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection, following proposals set out in the 6th Environmental Action Programme in 2002.
The SFD requires Member States to:
- Assess the impacts of policies likely to reduce soil degradation
- Take precautionary measures to protect soil functions
- Take appropriate measures to limit soil sealing - the permanent covering of the soil surface with an impermeable material
- Identify risks for soil erosion, loss of soil organic matter, compaction, salinisation and landslides and draw up a programme of measures to address these risks
- Take appropriate action to prevent soil contamination
- Establish a national inventory of contaminated sites
- Identify and remediate all contaminated sites
- Ensure Soil Status Reports are produced when land is sold
- Raise awareness of the importance of
soils.
Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government issued a public consultation on the SFD in October 2007. View our response to the proposals here.
Other EU Policy
There are also a number of existing EU Directives which relate to contaminated land issues.
The Waste Framework Directive addresses the preventing pollution from waste and includes in the list of categories of waste any contaminated materials, substances or products resulting from remedial action with respect to land as waste.
Under the Water Framework Directive Member States are required to develop a programme of measures to achieve water quality targets by 2015. Historic land contamination is among the long-term causes of water contamination and the WFD will therefore encourage increased remediation of contaminated sites, through existing UK legislation.
The new Groundwater Daughter Directive (a daughter Directive to the Water Framework Directive) aims to prevent or limit pollutants into groundwater, for example from historical contamination of land, and will also build on existing UK measures.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Liability Directive, which should have been implemented in the UK by 30 April 2007, addresses the way in which liability is allocated following major pollution incidents and provides a further incentive for the prevention of contamination by operators of potentially polluting activities.