PREPSOIL Final Event: Facilitating the deployment of the Mission Soil across European regions

26 May 2025
European Committee of the Regions, Brussels (Belgium)
PREPSOIL Final Event Final event
Location: European Committee of the Regions - Jacques Delors building, Rue Belliard 99/101, 1040 Brussels I Room JDE 51 and Atrium 5 (5th floor)
Date: 26 May 2025

 

The PREPSOIL Final Event on May 26, 2025, in Brussels brought together key stakeholders to advance soil health policies across Europe.

With engaging discussions on the Mission Soil initiative and the Soil Monitoring Law, the event aimed to drive regional action for sustainable soil management. 

Do not miss out on the expert sessions and panel discussions:

  • Facilitating the transposition of the Soil Monitoring Law at the territorial level: challenges and opportunities for public authorities
  • The regional role of Soil Health Living Labs for multi-actor co-creation
  • Integrating soil health across civil society and giving a voice to local actions
  • Capacity building and competence development at national level

There was also time for networking as well.

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Agenda

 

08:30 - 09:00     Registration and welcome coffee

The registration desk opned at 08:00

09:00 - 09:40     Welcome

 

09:00 - 09:40 Welcome

09:00 – 09:10

Niels Halberg, AU / PREPSOIL Coordinator

09:10 – 09:25 The Soil Monitoring Law and the consequences for soil districts calling for coordinated action 

Frida Nilsson, Member of the European Committee of the Regions

09:25 – 09:40 Key achievements of the Mission Soil and ways forward

Jelena Vidovic, DG Agri – Mission Soil Secretariat

09:40 - 10:11     SESSION 1: Facilitating the transposition of the soil monitoring law at territorial level: challenges and opportunities for public authorities 

Moderator: Pablo Gómez Grande, INIA-CSIC / PREPSOIL

09:40 – 09:55

Regional soil needs assessments and strategic research needs: drivers for decision-making on land use and soil management, effects on soil health, ecosystem service impacts and options for soil improving response measures

Saskia Keesstra, WUR / PREPSOIL

09:55 – 11:00

Panel discussion Session 1: The Soil Monitoring Law: expectations of soil management and consequences for soil districts calling for coordinated action.

Panelists:

  • Pierpaolo Piras, Committee of the Regions, Natural Resources (NAT) Commission
  • Bavo Peeters, DG ENV
  • Lydie Sombre, Environmental Agency of the Brussels Capital Regio
  • Oskars Balodis, Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Center
  • Saskia Keesstra, WUR / PREPSOIL

11:00 – 11:25     Coffee Break

11:30 - 13:00     SESSION 2: The regional role of Soil Health Living Labs for multi-actor co-creation 
Moderator: Saskia Keesstra, WUR / PREPSOIL

11:30 – 11:45

PREPSOIL & Living Labs: accelerate the adoption, maturity and optimizing the running of Living Labs and Lighthouses in soil

Isabelle Couture & Mar Ylla, ENoLL, PREPSOIL

11:45 – 12:35 

Panel discussion Session 2: Living Labs as set-ups for co-creation and knowledge transfer with a regional impact

Panelists:

  • Francesc Domingo, IRTA -Institute for agri-food research & technology
  • Laura Perez, Chamber of Agriculture , Pays de la Loire
  • Vasileios Takavakoglou, Soil and Water Resources Institute of Hellenic Agricultural Organization “DIMITRA” / GOV4ALL
  • Nargish Parvin, RISE / iCOSHELLs
  • Isabelle Couture & Mar Ylla, EnoLL / PREPSOIL

12:35 – 12:55 SOILL & SOILL-Startup – Scaling impact beyond PREPSOIL

Laura Nougues, Deltares, SOILL-Startup

12:55 – 13:00 Wrap-up and closing

Isabelle Couture & Mar Ylla, ENoLL, PREPSOIL

13:00 – 14:00    Lunch

14:00 - 15:30     SESSION 3: Integrating soil health across civil society and giving a voice to local actions  
Moderator: Jennie Barron, SLU / PREPSOIL

14:00 – 14:10

Reaching multiple actors for co-learning in soil health

Christina Lundstrom, SLU / PREPSOIL

14:10 – 14:20

Engaging citizens (soil ambassadors, communities of practice) across Europe as agents of transition for soil health advocacy

Tove Ortman, NIBIO, PREPSOIL 

14:20 – 14:30

Improving access to information on soils and ensuring engagement of civil society  

Valeriya Fetisova, Trust-IT, PREPSOIL 

14:30 – 15:30

Panel discussion Session 3: What can we do to give a voice to local actions to reach a deeper level of engagement that involves all actors across society?

Panelists:

  • Fernando Coelho, Lipor (Municipalities Association for Sustainable Waste Management of Greater Porto)
  • Valeriya Fetisova, Trust-IT, PREPSOIL
  • Christina Lundstrom, SLU / PREPSOIL
  • Francesco Molinari, manager of the HUMUS project
  • Tove Ortman, NIBIO, PREPSOIL 
  • Sonia Rodrigues, coordinator of the CURIOSOIL project
  • Primoz Simoncic, Slovenia Forestry Institute, coordinator SOIL: Our Invisible Ally
15:30 - 16:15     SESSION 4: Capacity building and competence development at national level

15:30 – 15:45

Understanding and supporting Mission Soil national mirror groups and how national soil hubs can expand into wider multi-actor forums at national level bringing together multiple stakeholders 

Flavien Poincot, ACTA, PREPSOIL

15:45 – 16:00

Capacity building for improved monitoring knowledge base 

José Luis Pita-Romero Herrero, INIA-CSIC, PREPSOIL

16:00 – 16:15

Reflections and Q&A  

Niels Halberg, AU / PREPSOIL

16:15 - 16:30     Wrapping up and conclusions

Niels Halberg, AU, PREPSOIL

16:30 - 17:15     Networking drinks and refreshment

17:30              END