The proposed directive on soil protection put forward by the European Commission in 2006 never succeeded in overcoming the obstacles placed in its path by member states and their vested interests. In 2014, the then Commissioner for the Environment decided to withdraw the directive in order to put forward a new one, but only a few months later the new Commission, which is still in post, blocked all initiatives relating to the environment.
The parts of the voluntary sector that work to protect nature have also failed as regards the soil. In 2017 People4soil, an initiative by EU citizens, succeeded in gathering only 200,000 signatures instead of the one million required.
In this context, the draft Italian law AC 63 takes on an importance that goes far beyond the borders of Italy. At the same time the European channel needs to be activated in order to obtain a directive for the protection of the soil. The many parallels between what is discussed in Italy and what will be discussed in Europe could lead to constant synergy and a consistent comparison between national policy and that of the EU. The two should move forward together.
The SIP Forum can present this draft law to the European institutions, representatives of civil society and the business world (construction firms, representatives of building workers, farmers, administrators, planners) to encourage them to reopen the conversation about creating a European directive on the soil. In order to widen access and aid understanding, the Forum has produced an English translation and now one in French as well, which can be seen below.
Gruppo Suolo Europa 