LIFE CO2RK at the launch of the EU Platform on Soils

CO2RK was one of the LIFE projects invited by CINEA, the European Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Executive Agency, to the launch of the European Soil Platform, which took place in Pamplona on April 10 and 11, 2024.

The importance of organic Carbon sequestration by the soils of slow-growing forests, characterized by their biodiversity and a great capacity to generate humus from the continuous fall and renewal of tree leaves, and by the interaction of the aforementioned diverse flora and fauna, has led CINEA to invite LIFE CO2RK.

The launch event for this platform aims to foster networking, feedback, and policy development among stakeholders involved in soils-related projects funded by the LIFE Initiative.

The importance of soils for EU environment

Around 60% of the EU’s soils are in poor condition, and this environmental problem not only impacts human health and biodiversity, but also the increasingly declining profitability of agriculture.

Farming is increasingly a vicious cycle in which the loss of fertile soil due to erosion is offset by increasing expenditures on chemical fertilizers that end up being washed into rivers, aquifers, and wetlands, and causing farmers to go into debt.

For the EU, it is a priority to develop a Soil Strategy that addresses all the problems outlined and multi-criteria solutions, both for the economy and for the environment and health.

Why establish networks at European level?

Attending European events of this type is strategically important for a project like CO2RK, which aims to build a legal and technical architecture capable of mobilizing private financial resources for environmental recovery.

At these events, future trends in European policies affecting the aforementioned legal framework are discussed, contacts are established with the European Commission, CINEA Agency, and other LIFE, HORIZON, and INTERREG projects that might assist in technical developments. Ultimately, partners are found and new lines of collaboration are forged.

Participating in these events facilitates a better understanding of the EU’s legal and financial mechanisms and brings visibility to the CO2RK project. This is important for the programs and initiatives that fund projects to achieve public recognition, while also helping European citizens understand how to invest in future challenges.