Progress in the management of contaminated sites (Indicator)

The extent of soil contamination in Europe is not fully understood because complete inventories of contaminated sites are lacking at the EU level. Sites where both contamination and associated risks are suspected are called ‘potentially contaminated sites’.   

In 2016, 1.38 million potentially contaminated sites were registered, of which 69% were confirmed by on-site investigations. In this context, contamination refers to substances such as hydrocarbons, mineral oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals and pesticides. The total number of potentially contaminated sites for the EU-27 was projected to be 2.8 million based on 2016 statistics. At least 2 million of these are expected to be registered once comparable national registers are fully developed.   

The increase in potentially contaminated sites between 2006 and 2016 is most likely rooted in increased data collected from national inventories. In 2016, data from national inventories showed that 8.3% of the currently registered potentially contaminated sites were remediated in the EU. However, the overall remediation rate is low.   

The Commission recently proposed a soil monitoring law, which foresees the establishment of an EU soil monitoring framework. If adopted, it will require Member States to systematically register potentially contaminated sites for all major polluting activities. This requirement will increase the number of identified, risk-assessed and managed contaminated sites. Besides, greater support for research and development on decontamination solutions may foster soil remediation. This may reduce the threat potentially contaminated sites pose to human health and ecosystems. 

Please consult the relevant indicators and signals below for a more comprehensive overview on the topic.