Communication on "Land as a Resource" Jacques DELSALLE Head of sector Land & Soil European Commission, DG Environment FoEE Conference "Putting resource efficiency back on the agenda" Brussels, 24 November 2014

Policy Background 2011 EU2020 Strategy / Road Map for resource-efficient Europe (RERM) Milestone: “By 2020, EU policies take into account their direct and indirect impact on land use in the EU and globally, and the rate of land take is on track with an aim to achieve no net land take by 2050; soil erosion is reduced and the soil organic matter increased, with remedial work on contaminated sites well underway" Rio+20 outcome document “The future we want”: land and soil degradation recognized as a global problem Milestone on land: "strive to achieve a land degradation neutral world in the context of sustainable development“ th Environment Action Programme for the EU calls for setting targets on land take and on a number of crucial soil quality aspects (erosion, organic matter and contamination).

Launch of the process: Conference 19/6/ The issues at stake National and regional experiences Exploring possible EU answers

Land as a Resource: at the crossroad of objectives 1 and 2 of 7 th Environmental Action Programme (EAP) (1) Protect, conserve and enhance natural capital Principle of land degradation neutrality (incl no-net land take) Link to water and biodiversity policies + further policy on soil Identification of scope and limitation of potential trade-offs between land uses (2) Resource- efficient, green and competitive low-carbon economy Maximizing socio- economic benefits from land use Efficient allocation: Matching land use and land suitability Reduce land use, increase recycling Land as a resource

What will be the Communication about? Raising awareness about : Value of land as a resource for crucial ecosystem services (provisioning, regulating, cultural, etc.); Trends in land demand and land availability, trade-offs and nexus… Wider socio-economic impacts of land degradation and inefficient land use Providing pointers for further action at EU level: Evaluate the effectiveness of current policy instruments at National, EU and global levels; Define the sustainable level of ambition for a set of objectives (targets?) for pressures, state, impacts or responses Assess options for EU contribution to a more sustainable management of land as a resource.

Towards a definition for land use efficiency Maximizing the net socio-economic benefits from land use, Territorial value added? Value of ecosystem services Externalities: energy, pollution Take into account global impacts Impact on jobs without degrading natural capital, Natural Capital accounting: soil, water, biodiversity Temporal, geographical dimension of potential trade-offs taking into account the suitability of land for different functions (1ha  1ha…) Soil quality Water resources Habitats & ecosystems Climatic conditions Topography Localisation

Resource-efficient use of Land Natural Capital How to deal with synergies and trade-offs? Land efficiency Settlements, infrastructures Extraction + abiotic energy sources Provision of land-based products Regulating services Biodiversity Recreation Europe 2020 Green Jobs Europe 2020 Green Jobs Energy CAP Cohesion & Urban Policy Bio- economy Climate Adaptation Forest Strategy Water Policy Nature & Biodiversity Transport Policy Transport Policy Health & Pollution policies Health & Pollution policies

Indicators & targets Study on identification appropriate indicators & relevance and feasibility of setting targets Net land take indicator: to complement with information on intensity and impacts of artificialization Land recycling: still lacks common understanding terminology Soil erosion and organic matter: EU-wide datasets, strengthen link with provision ecosystem services Multi-functionality: specify minimum provision levels and maximum acceptable trade-offs. Global impacts: beyond Land Footprint: bio-productivity and impact oriented indicators. Still high methodological / data challenges Need to address these topics together!

Policy drivers Market failures Regulatory failures Governance failures Knowledge failures DPSIR analysis of land degradation and inefficient use processes: Urbanisation and infrastructures Bio-economy Identification of options for action at EU level Subsidiarity, proportionality tests Existing policy and funding instruments

Next steps Land degradation & efficiency indicators Mainstreaming into EU Policies Knowledge Base (monitoring, datasets, assessments) Public stakeholder consultation on options for action at EU levels, in particular Indicators for land-use efficiency and land degradation Concrete integration of sustainable land management in EU policy and funding instruments Improved and cost-efficient knowledge base Adoption foreseen 2nd half 2015

Thank you for your attention!