High-level working meeting, 9/12/2025, on the New European Directive on Soil Monitoring & Resilience
AgriBusiness Forum, in collaboration with ELGO-Demeter, the Agricultural University of Athens, the Hellenic Space Center, and the i-BEC Interbalkan Environment Centre, organized a high-level working meeting on Tuesday, 9/12/2025, on the topic: “The New European Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience” (SML).
As 61% of the EU territory suffers severe soil degradation, this new directive, released in late October 2025, sets targets, definitions, and rules for assessing soil health, sustainable soil management, and remediation of contaminated areas.
The scope of the aforementioned meeting was to delve into “SML” requirements, the monitoring framework, the integration into the current and new C.A.P., the management of energy footprint, also to assess the impact on the overall ecosystem, including farming, processing, distribution, and consumption of agricultural products.
The meeting was conducted by Mr. Giannis Balakakis, Chair of the AgriBusiness Forum, while keynote speakers have been:
- Emmanuel Flemetakis, Vice-Rector, Agricultural University of Athens
- Thomas Bartzanas, Vice-Rector, Agricultural University of Athens
- Panos Panagos, Project Leader EU Soil Observatory, European Commission
- Georgios Zalidis, Professor Em. Aristotle University, A-VP OPEKEPE
- Paraskevi Chantzi, Head of Research & Innovation, i-BEC
- Vasileios Takavakoglou, Sr. Researcher, Soil & Water Resources, ELGO-Demeter
- Dimitris Bliziotis, Earth Observation Program Manager, Hellenic Space Center
- Konstantinos Karyotis, Head of New Technologies & Spectral Data, i-BEC
The meeting was held at the Agricultural University of Athens and was attended, upon invitation, by designated representatives from Ministries, Organizations, Associations, Banks, and the Diplomatic Corps.