This forum, which regularly brings together representatives of public administrations responsible for contaminated land management, held its spring meeting in Stockholm between May 31 and June 2, hosted by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
This group of policy makers, regulators and technical advisers from European administrations is responsible for contaminated soil and met in Stockholm
On this occasion, the main topics were sediment management, future European soil health legislation which will be presented on July 5 and the latest developments in member countries and regions. The vision, objectives and instruments of the EU Soil Strategy for 2030, which was approved last year with the aim of achieving healthy soil, are now a source of inspiration for the actions of this group. Mechanisms for managing excavated soils as part of the future excavated soil passport envisaged in the strategy were discussed at this meeting.
The Common Forum has been holding regular meetings since its creation in 1994 to discuss legal, technical and organizational issues in the field of contaminated land management and remediation in order to fulfill its mission of sharing experiences and knowledge. In recent times, the forum has expanded its activity with the constitution of working groups focused on specific topics, namely diffuse contamination, PFAS as emerging contaminants and the efficient use and sustainable management of soil as a resource.
The next meeting of the Common Forum will take place next October in Bilbao, as a prelude to the SOILUZIOAK 2023 congress on soil protection
The autumn meeting of the group will be held on October 9 and 10 in Bilbao, as part of the Basque Soil Protection Congress organised by the public company Ihobe, in collaboration with Sprilur. This event will provide an opportunity to reflect on international policies, regional good practices and future trends in soil protection, an area in which the Basque Country is a benchmark at national level thanks to the 2030 Soil Protection Strategy. The SOILUZIOAK 2023 congress will also be a meeting point for different actors with an interest in the subject.
About the Common Forum on Contaminated Land in Europe
This forum started in 1994 with the aim of becoming a platform for sharing knowledge and experiences, in order to initiate and follow up international projects between members of policymakers, regulators and technical advisers on contaminated land of the environmental authorities of the European Union Member States and countries of the European Free Trade Association.
Common Forum members work in collaboration with the main European and international networks and initiatives in the field of contaminated land/soil, such as NICOLE, Sednet, Cabernet, Eurodemo, Soilver and IMPEL, to exchange information, share advice and review proposed calls for proposals or participation on project advisory boards. Their actions include defining new concepts of contaminated land management, carrying out critical analyses of proposals for European Union directives and proposing technical criteria for applying these directives.
