EU Missions Soil Deal for Europe

European and African agriculture ministers gathered in Rome on 27 June for the sixth African Union (AU)-European Union (EU) Agriculture Ministerial Conference. They were joined by AU Commissioner Moses Vilakati and European Commissioner for agriculture and food Christophe Hansen. The conference focused on a wide range of issues impacting agriculture and the agri-food sectors on both continents like sustainability and climate resilience, investing in agri-food value chains, market access, trade facilitation and research and innovation. The African Union’s signature of the EU’s Mission Soil manifesto was part of the programme.

On 4 June 2025, the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee voted in favour of the provisional agreement on the EU’s first Soil Monitoring Law. The directive sets out a harmonised monitoring framework to achieve healthy soils across the EU by 2050, addressing the urgent challenge of soil degradation—currently affecting an estimated 60–70% of soils in the Union.