European Soil Partnership (ESP) meeting - March 20-21, 2018, Rome FAO HQ, Italy

2. On 13/2: Request by GSP-Secretariat to the Chairs of the regional partnerships:
"… to support and contribute to the Global Symposium on Soil Pollution (GSOP18)
providing information on the status of soil pollution in your region."
" … the Regional Soil Partnerships are invited to facilitate the process so that all countries
in the region could provide with the status of soil pollution in their countries."
" … We would appreciate your feedback by Friday 3rd March on your region’s situation."
On 28/2: After comments by ESP-SC on the very short deadline: extension of the deadline
by GSP-Secretariat:
" … We have received some comments about the complexity of gathering all the
information in a coherent way on time. For that reason, we have decided to extend the
deadline, and we would appreciate your feedback by Monday 2nd April"
ESP contribution to the GSOP2018
Arwyn Jones, on behalf of Marc Van Liedekerke

3. Because of the very short deadline, ESP partners were (at this stage) deliberately not
informed about the request.
ESP Steering Committee started the compilation of an overview report: First version
on 11/3:
Regional status of soil pollution: Europe
(Marc Van Liedekerke, Josiane Masson, Ana Paya Perez, Violette Geissen)
Which is now under revision by all ESP-SC members
Message of the report:
At European level: There are already many assessments; no need to start
from scratch
• Report is citing the various European assessments (last 15 years)
• Examples of Knowledge and Data on soil contamination in Europe

4. European assessments:
"CONTAMINATION AND LAND MANAGEMENT": REPORT OF THE TECHNICAL WORKING
GROUPS ESTABLISHED UNDER THE THEMATIC STRATEGY FOR SOIL PROTECTION (160
pages)
+ associated Impact Assessments
+ proposal for a SOIL FRAMEWORK Directive
Seventh Environment Action Programme (2014-2020) that recognizes that soil
degradation is a serious challenge, with many references to soil contamination and in
particular to the remediation of contaminated sites.
European Commission also published a policy report on the implementation of the Soil
Thematic Strategy and ongoing activities (COM(2012) 46), with many references to soil
contamination.
This report has been supplemented by a 2010 JRC reference report ‘The State of Soil in
Europe’
+ EEA State of the Environment Report (SOER) 2010
with chapter on "State and Trends in soil contamination".

5. FAO Report "Status of the World's Soil Resources": Chapter on Regional
Assessment of soil changes in Europe and Eurasia.
EU-funded project RECARE (Preventing and Remediating Degradation of Soils in
Europe through Land Care; 2013-2016): assessment of the state of soil
degradation and conservation on the EU territory.
2016 RECARE-based JRC technical report "Soil threats in Europe - Status,
methods, drivers and effects on ecosystem services", a chapter is included on soil
contamination, covering both point and diffuse contamination.
State of the Environment Report (SOER 2015) – soil contamination briefly
European assessments (cont.)

6. European assessments (cont.)
EU study, by European Commission
"Updated Inventory and Assessment of Soil Protection Policy Instruments in EU
Member States"
• takes stock of existing soil protection policies and measures at the EU and Member
State level,
• identifies key gaps in protection with respect to soil threats and functions
• covers explicitly the areas of "Industrial and Point Source Contamination" and
"Diffuse Contamination and Water Management"

7. Knowledge and Data on soil contamination in Europe
A non-exhaustive and non-prioritized list of relevant knowledge and data sources in
Europe concerning the soil contamination topic.
EU funded Projects in FP7, H2020 and LIFE
Case studies in soil remediation (JRC)
Soil and Health in Europe
Management of Soil Contaminated Sites in Europe.
• EEA Indicator "Progress in the management of Contaminated Sites"
• EEA Ad-Hoc working group
LUCAS soil campaigns (JRC and ESTAT)
• LUCAS topsoil surveys – Heavy Metals and PPPs
• Analysis of heavy metals in LUCAS Topsoil Survey
• Analysis of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) in LUCAS Topsoil Survey

8. Knowledge and Data on soil contamination in Europe (cont.)
A non-exhaustive and non-prioritized list of relevant knowledge and data sources in
Europe concerning the soil contamination topic.
EU funded Projects in FP7, H2020 and LIFE
Case studies in soil remediation (JRC)
Soil and Health in Europe
Management of Soil Contaminated Sites in Europe.
• EEA Indicator "Progress in the management of Contaminated Sites"
• EEA Ad-Hoc working group
LUCAS soil campaigns (JRC and ESTAT)
• LUCAS topsoil surveys – Heavy Metals and PPPs
• Analysis of heavy metals in LUCAS Topsoil Survey
• Analysis of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) in LUCAS Topsoil Survey

9. Knowledge and Data on soil contamination in Europe
Pesticide risk in EU
Pollution by Phosphorous in EU
EEA: Agriculture Nitrogen balance
Emerging Contaminants
Soil Acidification
GEMAS (Geochemical Mapping of agricultural and grazing land soil of Europe)
Contaminated Land/Soil networks
• Common Forum
• Nicole
• Common Forum initiative: Survey for the collection information on diffuse
pollution

10. Proposal to ESP National Focal Points for contribution to an
extended Regional status of soil pollution: Europe report
• request by ESP Secretariat for contribution with brief country assessments on
soil pollution in the country;
• use of INSII?
• maximum one page per country
• covering both point and diffuse contamination
• ESP-SC to come up with a short set of questions to answer in the country
assessment (similar to COMMON FORUM)
• ESP-Secretariat coordination
• editorial Board: selected ESP-SC members
• acknowledgement guaranteed
• Extend also to non-country partners?