Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-09-04-Speech-4-060"
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"en.20080904.5.4-060"2
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"Mr President, a year has gone by since we adopted our stance at first reading concerning the directive on soil protection. Nonetheless, the Council has so far been unable to secure agreement. A few Member States still persist in acting as a blocking minority. There is now hope of achieving a compromise under the French Presidency. The presentation by the representative of France indicated that such hope did exist.
We have heard much criticism of the project, alleging that it will increase bureaucracy or duplicate existing national and Community legislation. I believe the opposite is the case. Such a directive is needed, because it will result in unification of legislation in this area and will bring together at Union level all the efforts being made to protect the soil. In addition to local and regional efforts, action at Union level is required if we are to halt soil degradation. The soil is an asset common to us all. Common principles and objectives must therefore be established, and the relevant action taken. It is important for all Union citizens to become aware of the important part the soil plays in the ecosystem and also in our daily lives and in the economy.
Unfortunately, dangerous substances are still to be found on the territory of many Member States. I refer to landfill sites and chemical weapons left behind by the Soviet army present there in the past. Certain countries are not in a position to deal with these issues on their own. Appropriate encouragement and aid for Member States to assist such countries with the removal of such material is therefore needed. There is an urgent need for relevant provisions that will allow degraded land to be put back into use and will also limit soil degradation and ensure that the soil is exploited in a sustainable manner. All this would certainly be a step in the right direction in terms of protection of the natural environment and in terms of preserving the soil which is such a valuable natural resource. In this respect, the directive should prove very helpful to us. The legislative work ought therefore to continue. In addition, independent experts must be consulted and we should take their opinions into account."@en1
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