Soils
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EU energy ministers talk geothermal in Budapest
Est. 5minGeothermal energy is the first item on the agenda of an informal meeting of EU energy ministers on Friday and Saturday (16-17 July) in Budapest, where they will discuss how to overcome barriers to the deployment of this under-exploited energy source.
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Leak: Hungarian Presidency’s plans for energy, transport, environment
Est. 2minOn 1 July, Hungary will take over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from the Belgians. Euractiv has seen and reviewed Hungary's indicative plan for energy, transport and the environment during its six months as Council President.
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French National Assembly, impatient with EU, pushes for ‘forever chemical’ ban
Est. 4minOn Thursday (4 April), the French opposition party Les Écologistes pushed a proposal to reduce the use of the so-called "forever chemicals" through the National Assembly, but the government favours a European solution to this environmental and health problem.
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Industrial site near Brussels shows microplastic pollution in action
Est. 5minAs the European Parliament works on a revision of the regulation on microplastics, EU lawmakers and NGOs travelled outside Brussels to see for themselves the scale and impact of plastic pellet pollution on site.
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EU Commission chief to withdraw the contested pesticide regulation
Est. 4minIn a major blow to the EU's Green Deal and Farm to Fork framework, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday (6 February) that she will withdraw the Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR), which sought to halve pesticide use by 2030.
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The case for separate targets in the EU’s 2040 climate strategy
Est. 5minAs EU policymakers prepare to announce the specifics of the 2040 target, there is a clear risk the EU’s climate ambition could be undermined through a poor design, write Eadbhard Pernot, Mark Preston Aragones and Fabiola De Simone.
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France dubious about EU-wide ‘net-zero soil artificialisation’ target
Est. 5minFrance is "not persuaded" that its 2050 'zero artificialisation' goal should be extended at EU level, even though discussions are currently underway on a European soil monitoring and resilience directive.
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Dutch parliament urges cabinet to vote against glyphosate re-approval
Est. 2minA motion opposing the European Commission from potentially re-authorising glyphosate has received majority support in the Dutch parliament, with MPs urging Agriculture Minister Piet Adema (CU/EPP) to vote against the measure at next month's EU Agriculture Council.
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EU lawmakers insist on monetisation of carbon farming
Est. 4minThe European Parliament’s agriculture committee proposed to go beyond the scope of the recently unveiled EU framework for certifying carbon sinks in farming by providing for the remuneration and trading of negative emission certificates.
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Dutch minister rejects provinces’ funding requests for nitrogen reduction
Est. 2minNitrogen Minister Christianne Van der Wal (VVD/Renew) rejected the Dutch provinces’ funding requests for nitrogen reduction on Monday, stating that their plans greatly exceed the government’s available funds.
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EU auditors court slams lacklustre EU soil protection efforts
Est. 5minThe European Commission and EU member states are not being ambitious enough with their protections for EU soil, nearly 70% of which was found to be unhealthy, the European Court of Auditors said.
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Commission tables first EU soil law, slammed for ‘lacking ambition’
Est. 5minThe Commission’s new proposal for a soil monitoring law falls behind the initial ambition of giving soil a protected status similar to that of air or water, according to Green lawmakers and campaigners.
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Combating desertification in developing countries: A question of political will
Est. 6minDeveloping countries will be the first victims of the dangers of climate change, facing a threat that affects the rest of the world, too. Political will is the most important weapon in our arsenal to tackle this issue, writes Alain-Richard Donwahi.
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EU environment ministers greenlight position on Nature Restoration Law
Est. 5minEU environment ministers approved their position on a historic law to restore Europe's ecosystems on Tuesday (20 June), marking a turning point for the embattled proposal.
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Countries seek deal on weakened EU nature law
Est. 2minEuropean Union countries' environment ministers will attempt on Tuesday (20 June) to agree a common position on the bloc's landmark law to restore deteriorating natural habitats, having watered down the proposal after pushback from some governments.
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Brussels closes German nitrate pollution case after decade-long tussle
Est. 4minGermany is now in compliance with EU nitrate pollution rules and equipped to further tackle high pollution levels in groundwater, the European Commission announced on Thursday (1 June), ending a decade-long back-and-forth with Brussels and the threat of hefty fines.
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Soil conservation must be priority, says Indian leader of new global campaign
Est. 5minThere is an urgent need to focus on soil conservation, a global campaign originating in India is arguing in an attempt to highlight the threat to one of nature’s greatest resources.
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Climate change puts increasing pressure on food production, finds IPCC
Est. 4minOngoing global warming will likely put a major strain on food systems and could make millions worldwide subject to food insecurity, a new report published today by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) finds.
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Sixty-eight countries commit to carbon capture, soil protection
Est. 4minA total of 68 countries agreed to contribute to climate protection and biodiversity conservation by protecting agricultural soils at last week's World Conference of agriculture ministers in Berlin. EURACTIV Germany reports.
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Boosting climate smart agriculture through access to ripping technology
Est. 5minWith soil health high on the policy agenda, EURACTIV took a look at how advances in tractor technology can help boost climate-smart agriculture and promote no-till agriculture through the lens of a project in East Africa.
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Commission’s carbon farming ambition just buries the problem, stakeholders warn
Est. 5minThe European Commission's communication on sustainable carbon cycles promising a new source of revenue for farmers received a lukewarm response from the farming sector on Wednesday (15 December) while NGOs blasted it for letting real polluters off the hook.
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Safety vs. sovereignty: Stakeholders split over increasing imports of ‘cleaner’ phosphates
Est. 5minStakeholders are calling on the European Commission to stop prioritising home-grown phosphates high in cancer-causing cadmium over imports of cleaner products from non-EU countries, but others warn that this risks sacrificing EU autonomy.
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EU earmarks €320 million for soil health research to contribute to carbon removal
Est. 4minThe European Union is stepping up efforts on soil health research with the announcement of a new Horizon Europe mission, which will also provide key funding for the promotion of carbon farming.
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Soils to receive same legal status as air, water in first EU-wide soil health law
Est. 5minThe European Union's soil strategy has outlined plans for a soil health law by 2023 to bring soil on the same legal footing as air and water, and EU lawmakers have warned this must be a hard deadline.