JOINT: Joint Technical Approach for Soil and Groundwater Quality Management Accompanying Meassure

Joint was an Accompanying Measure within the Fifth Framework Programme of the EU Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development Call, running for two years (2003 - 2004).

International interest in research, policy and practice related to sustainable management of the soil and water system is increasing, especially due to the implementation of the Water Framework Directive and the development of an EU Thematic Strategy on Soil Protection. JOINT contributed to these European developments with the organization of 3 workshops dedicated to the JOINT objectives:

Diffusion of current R&D results and connecting existing technical approaches,

Stimulation of co-operation for applied research,

Support of the development of upcoming soil policy.
The first workshop "The Functioning and Management of the Water-Soil-System at River-Basin Scale: Diffuse Pollution and Point Sources", Orléans, France, 26th - 28th November 2003, focussed on presenting the progress of soil and groundwater related EU research projects to end-users, service providers, regulators and scientists with the aim of finding solutions on "how to bring results of EU research quicker and closer to the end-users". To improve communication, dissemination and bringing the research closer to the market/users the JOINT team contributed to the technical digests of EUGRIS.

One explicit aim of the second workshop held in Bonn, Germany: "Towards an Integrated Management of Soil and Water Resources: Fate and Behaviour of Pollutants". (7th - 9th June, 2004) was to inform about activities in the field related to funding opportunities, to illustrate the prioritary topics to be covered by future research activities and to facilitate a discussion to be used for partner search to allocate powerful consortia.

The third workshop on 28th - 29th October 2004 in Vienna, Austria: "Towards a harmonised management of European soil resources: Research, Agenda for Soil Protection" was organised together with the Thematic Network SCAPE (Soil Conservation and Protection for Europe) to analyse and disseminate the recommendations that have been made by the Technical Working Group Research of the EU Thematic Strategy in order to group the most important, urgent and cost-effective soil research issues as "priority research areas".

A brochure introducing this research agenda for soil protection in Europe was prepared and presented at the Vital Soil EU policy conference in The Hague (November 2004).

The research agenda for soil protection in Europe describes general research needs for all soil threats, based on a DPSIR (Driving forces, Pressures, State, Impacts and Responses) approach. The present publication by JOINT gives more specific recommendations for risk based management of contaminations in the soil system, aimed at integrating the management of the soil and groundwater resources. It is focusing on the research needs for the design of adequate resource management responses in the light of changes in land use and climate changes in the European Union.

More information see:
Risk based management of contamination and protection of the soil system in urban environments JOINT Research Agenda 2005

Koschitzky, Hans-Peter

VEGAS

From: 2003-03-01

To: 2005-02-28

European Commission