What changed between the adopted text of 10 Apr 2024 and the adopted text of 23 Oct 2025

Removed:(c) contaminated sites.

Removed:Article 2 Scope

Removed:This Directive applies to all soils in the territory of Member States.

Removed:Article 3 Definitions

Removed:For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions shall apply:

Removed:(1) ‘soil’ means the top layer of the Earth’s crust situated between the bedrock and the land surface, which is composed of mineral particles, organic matter, water, air and living organisms, excluding raw material deposits; [Ams. 217 and 266]

Removed:(1a) ‘soil ecological status’ means the ecological quality of a soil evaluated according to the soil’s diversity, biological and functional activity, habitat and the presence of degradation factors, and determined according to the following classification:

Removed:(a) ‘high soil ecological status’ refers to soils with high biological and functional activity;

Removed:(b) ‘good ecological status’ refers to soils in an overall good ecological status but that show evidence of slight adverse impacts from one or multiple degradation factors;

Removed:(c) ‘moderate ecological status’ refers to soils with evidence of slight adverse impacts from degradation factors;

Removed:(d) ‘degraded soils’ refers to soils with clear evidence of adverse impacts from one degradation factor; and

Removed:(e) ‘critically degraded soils’ refers to soils with clear evidence of adverse impacts from more than one degradation factor; [Am. 46]

Removed:(1b) ‘soil ecological functions’ means the set of interrelated processes and interactions within the soil ecosystem that sustain life, support and are the result of soil biodiversity and maintain the overall health and productivity of terrestrial environments, such as nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, soil structure formation, water filtration and purification, carbon sequestration, and the provision of habitats and resources for a diverse range of organisms; [Am. 47]

Removed:(2) ‘ecosystem’ means a dynamic complex of plant, animal, and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit;

Removed:(3) ‘ecosystem services’ means direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to the wellbeing of society as a whole, and economic, social, cultural, environmental and other benefits that people derive from those ecosystems; [Am. 48]

Removed:(3a) ‘soil biodiversity’ means the variation in soil life, from genes to communities, and the ecological complexes of which they are part, that is complexes ranging from soil micro-habitats to landscapes; [Am. 49]

Removed:(4) ‘soil health’ means the physical, chemical, functional and biological condition of the soil determining its capacity to function as a vital living system and to provide ecosystem services, taking land use into account; [Am. 50]

Removed:(5) ‘sustainable soil management’ means soil management practices that aim to maintain or enhance the soil ecosystem services provided by the soil without impairing the functions enabling those services, or being detrimental to other properties of the environmenttaking into account the socio-economic effects; [Am. 247]

Removed:(6) ‘soil management practices’ mean practices that impact the physical, chemical or biological qualities of a soil;

Removed:(7) ‘managed soils’ means soils where soil management practices are carried out;

Removed:(8) ‘soil district’ means the part of the territory of a Member State or several Member States, as delimited by that Member State or those Member States in accordance with this Directive; [Am. 52]

Removed:(9) ‘soil health assessment’ means the evaluation of the health of the soil based on the measurement or estimation of soil descriptors;

Removed:(10) ‘contaminated site’ means a delineated area of one or several plots with confirmed presence of soil contamination caused by point-source anthropogenic activitiesthe presence of a substance or material in the soil in a concentration that may be harmful to health or the environment; [Am. 53]

Removed:(11) ‘soil descriptor’ means a parameter describing a physical, chemical, or biological characteristic of soil health;

Removed:(12) ‘land’ means the surface of the Earth that is not covered by water;

Removed:(13) ‘land cover’ means the physical and biological cover of the earth’s surface;

Removed:(14) ‘natural land’ means an area where human activity has not substantially modified an area’s primary ecological functions and species composition;

Removed:(15) ‘semi-natural land‘ means an area where ecological assemblages have been substantially modified in their composition, balance or function by human activities, but maintain potentially high value in terms of biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides;

Removed:(16) ‘artificial land’ means land used as a platform for constructions and infrastructure or as a direct source of raw material or as archive for historic patrimony at the expense of the capacity of soils to provide other ecosystem services;

Removed:(17) ‘land take’ means the conversion of natural and semi-natural land into artificial land;

Removed:(17a) 'soil sealing' means the covering of land with impermeable material, particularly in the context of using land as a platform for buildings and infrastructure; [Am. 54]

Removed:(17b) ‘de-sealing of soil’ means the re-conversion of land that no longer performs its natural soil functions, such as infiltration, percolation and hydrological functionality, into functional soil; [Am. 55]

Removed:(18) ‘transfer function’ means a mathematical rule that allows to convert the value of a measurement, performed using a methodology different from a reference methodology, into the value that would be obtained by performing the soil measurement using the reference methodology;

Removed:(19) ‘public concerned’ means the public affected or likely to be affected by soil degradation, or having an interest in the decision-making procedures related to the implementation of the obligations under this Directive, including citizens, land owners, managers and land users, as well as non-governmental organisations promoting the protection of human or animal health or the environment and meeting any requirements under national law. [Am. 56]

Removed:(19a) ‘public’ means one or more natural or legal persons and, in accordance with national law or practice, associations, organisations or groups comprising such persons; [Am. 57]

Removed:(20) ‘soil contamination’ means the presence of a chemical or substance or material in the soil in a concentration that may belead, directly or indirectly, to harmful toeffects on human or animal health or the environment; [Am. 58]

Removed:(21) ‘contaminant’ means a substance liable to cause soil contamination;

Removed:(22) ‘regeneration’ means an intentional activity aimed at reversing soil from degraded to healthy condition;

Removed:(23) ‘risk’ means the possibility of harmful effects to human or animal health or the environment resulting from exposure to soil contamination; [Am. 59]

Removed:(24) ‘soil investigation’ means a process to assess the presence and concentration of contaminants in the soil which is usually performed in different stages;

Removed:(25) ‘geographically explicit’ means information referenced and stored in a manner that permits it to be mapped and localised with specific precision and accuracy;

Removed:(26) ‘soil remediation’ means a regeneration action that reduces, isolates or immobilizes contaminant concentrations in the soil below a toxicity threshold for which significant dangers for organisms in contact with that soil can be excluded, with the aim of improving the ecological status. [Am. 60]

Removed:Article 4 Soil districts

Removed:1. Member States shall, in consultation with local, regional and cross-regional authorities, establish soil districts, based on, where appropriate, existing administrative units throughout their own territory and in cross-border territories together with neighbouring Member States. [Am. 61]

Removed:The number of soil districts for each Member State shall as a minimum correspond to the number of NUTS 1 territorial units established under Regulation (EC) No 1059/2003. [Am. 221/rev1]

Removed:2. When establishing the geographic extent of soil districts, Member States may take into account existing land use, governance structures and administrative units and shall seekprioritise homogeneity within each soil district regarding the following parameters: [Am. 63]

Removed:(a) soil type as defined in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources;

Removed:(b) climatic conditions;

Removed:(c) environmental zone as described in Alterra Report 2281;

Removed:(d) land use or land cover as used in the Land Use/Cover Area frame statistical Survey (LUCAS) programme;

Removed:(da) river basin districts pursuant to Directive 2000/60/EC and water bodies used for abstraction of water intended for human consumption as defined in Directive (EU) 2020/2184; [Am. 64]

Removed:(db) the existence of remote archipelagic regions with islands scattered between them, with each island corresponding to a soil district; [Am. 224/rev1]

Removed:(dc) use of Copernicus for the soil districts' delimitation. [Am. 226/rev1]

Removed:2a. Member States shall, where appropriate, ensure that soil districts of neighbouring Member States in which there are transboundary effects on soil, comparable land use across borders or similar values for the parameters referred to in paragraph 2, points (a) to (d), cooperate with each other to exchange best practices. Member States shall also ensure that a coherent approach is taken by soil districts across borders. [Am. 65]

Removed:2b. The Commission shall support Member States in ensuring that their soil districts cooperate on a cross-border basis and shall facilitate harmonisation of monitoring systems, transfer functions, monitoring design and classification of ecological status at the level of the soil descriptors listed in Annex I. [Am. 66]

Removed:Article 5 Competent authorities

Removed:Member States shall designate the competent authorities responsible at an appropriate level for carrying out the duties laid down in this Directive, taking into account existing administrative divisions and responsibilities, including in the case of cross-border soil districts. [Am. 68]

Removed:Member States shall designate one competent authority for each soil district established in accordance with Article 4. Member States may designate one competent authority for several soil districts. [Am. 69]

Removed:Member States shall communicate to the Commission the list of competent authorities referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article in accordance with Article 18(3), point (b). The Commission shall maintain an updated list of the competent authorities on its website. [Am. 70]

Removed:Chapter II Monitoring and assessment of soil health