Currently, over 60% of soils in the European Union are in poor health, threatening food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity. In response to this fragmented situation, the PSOILICY project, funded by the Horizon Europe program, has been launched for a duration of 42 months. It brings together 15 European partner organizations to strengthen the interfaces between science and public policy.
The initiative intends to establish national soil health hubs in all EU member states and develop tools to translate scientific knowledge into concrete policy decisions. PSOILICY's deliverables will support the implementation of the European Soil Monitoring Law and the European Soil Strategy by 2030. The goal is to ensure that 75% of European soils are healthy or improving by 2030.
The project pursues seven key objectives, including assessing existing science-policy interfaces on soil health, studying the creation of a European 'science service' for soil health, and developing a toolkit to facilitate these interfaces. It also aims to mobilize stakeholders, structure networks, and consolidate a European network of national soil health hubs.
The European partners of the project met in early October in Nancy for the official launch. This meeting allowed for the presentation of objectives, gathering expectations from European Commission services and the French Ministry of Environment, and defining the initial work steps. This launch marks the beginning of a 42-month European collaboration aimed at structuring exchanges between scientists, decision-makers, and field actors.
