Directive (EU) 2025/2360 on Soil Health: What Belgian Companies Must Anticipate by 2028
For over twenty years, water and air have had dedicated European directives. Soils, however, were still waiting. Directive (EU) 2025/2360, published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 26 November 2025, finally fills this gap. As the first binding European text on soil monitoring and resilience, it requires Member States to transpose it by 16 December 2028. In Belgium, the three Regions must integrate it into their respective regulatory frameworks.
A twenty-year legal void finally filled
The Water Framework Directive dates back to 2000. The Air Directive, to 1996. European soils, however, had no unified legal framework until now: several attempts had failed, including a first Commission proposal as early as 2006.
On 23 October 2025, the European Parliament gave its final approval. Directive (EU) 2025/2360 of 12 November 2025 on soil monitoring and resilience was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 26 November 2025 and entered into force on 16 December 2025.
Its long-term ambition: healthy soils across Europe by 2050. This objective is not legally binding, but the directive lays the foundations for a common framework: shared definitions, a harmonised monitoring system, reporting obligations, and contaminated site management.
The assessment driving this text is stark: according to estimates cited in the directive itself, between 60 and 70% of European soils are currently degraded, and the trend is not reversing.
What the directive specifically requires of Member States
The directive outlines Member States' obligations in several key areas:
Monitoring and assessment of soil health.
Each Member State must delineate 'soil districts' and 'soil units' for monitoring and reporting purposes. The health of these units will be assessed using a set of harmonised descriptors: organic carbon content, bulk density, electrical conductivity, heavy metal concentration, etc. PFAS (forever chemicals) and pesticides are explicitly included in the list of contaminants to be monitored, a provision directly aligned with current Belgian regulatory developments on this topic.
Register of potentially contaminated sites.
Member States will be required to establish a public register systematically listing potentially contaminated sites within their territory. This register will be publicly accessible.
Periodic assessments and European reporting.
The first comprehensive soil health assessments must be carried out before 17 December 2031, then renewed every six years. The data will be transmitted to the European Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Common European database.
The Commission and the EEA will establish a soil health database by 17 December 2027, integrating national and regional data.
In Belgium: three Regions, one deadline
Environmental matters are a regional competence in Belgium. Each of the three Regions has its own legislative framework for soil management:
Wallonia
Soil Decree of 1 March 2018, administered by the Public Service of Wallonia (SPW).
Procedures: orientation study → characterization study → risk study. Soil register: BDES (Soil State Database).
Brussels-Capital
Soil Ordinance of 5 March 2009 (amended in 2017), administered by Brussels Environment.
Procedures: RES (Recognition of the soil state), detailed study (DS), risk study (RS).
Flanders
Soil Decree of 27 October 2006, with OVAM as the competent authority (soil and waste).
Procedures: OBO (orientation study), BBO (characterization study), BSP (remediation project). For several years, OVAM has been promoting an integrated soil management approach that goes beyond simple decontamination: a philosophy close to the spirit of the directive.
These three regional frameworks will have to integrate the requirements of Directive (EU) 2025/2360 by 16 December 2028. The directive does not supersede existing regional legislation: it adds a layer of European-level monitoring and reporting, and introduces common definitions that can interact with current regional legislation.
What this means for you
If your company operates or has operated a potentially contaminated site, this directive directly concerns you.
The time to act is now... before public registers are established and the transposition takes effect.
Public Register of Contaminated Sites.
Owners and operators of potentially contaminated sites should accurately understand the condition of their soil before this inventory becomes operational. A preliminary orientation study provides a clear and controlled view of the situation.
PFAS and Pesticides Under Increased Scrutiny.
These substances will be subject to harmonized European monitoring. Affected industries (chemicals, surface treatment, agri-food) and sites slated for redevelopment must anticipate increased pressure.
Soil Sealing on the European Agenda.
Soil artificialization will now be monitored and reported at the European level. For developers and project owners, this is an additional signal to integrate de-sealing and sustainable rainwater management from the project design stage.
CSRD and ESG Reporting.
For companies subject to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) or engaged in a voluntary ESG approach, soil health will become an indicator to be included in their non-financial report.
ABV Environment assists its clients with soil studies: orientation studies, characterization studies, risk assessments (in the three Belgian Regions, as well as in integrated soil management and regulatory compliance).
Accredited for soil pollution in Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region, and an approved Type 1 expert in Flanders, ABV Environment is able to assess your situation and assist you in anticipating these new obligations.
Is your site potentially affected by the future European register? Our teams are available to discuss it.