13.02.2026
Today, the Horizon Europe project BENCHMARKS conducted a policy dialogue at the European Committee of the Regions to discuss soil related EU policies with representatives of the European Directorates-General (DG ENV, DG AGRI, DG CLIMA), coordinators of national soil monitoring networks, public authorities, farmers, value chain representatives and NGOs. Dr. Carsten Paul, Dr. Camille Imbert, and Sambit Shome from the working group “Impact Assessment of Land Use Changes” at the Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) were involved in organizing and conducting the full-day workshop. About 50 persons participated on-sited while another 150 persons joined on-line.
Participants discussed the Soil Monitoring Law, the Carbon Removal Certification Framework, the Nature Restoration Law, as well as the Common Agricultural Policy and shared experiences and perspectives. Overall, participants highlighted the importance to consider soil monitoring costs, the need for knowledge sharing collaboration among countries, and the need for support mechanisms for land stewards, including risk assessment and advisory services. Additionally, participants emphasized the importance of exchange formats such as this policy dialogue to facilitate communication between the diverse groups of soil actors.
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