Desertification, a form of land degradation in drylands, is a growing threat in the EU with significant effects on the use of land. The term is usually used to describe human- and climate-related processes leading to problems affecting dry areas, such as diminished food production, soil infertility, decreases in the land’s natural resilience, and reduced water quality. Projections on climate change in Europe show that the risk of desertification is increasing. Hot semi-deserts already exist in southern Europe, where the climate is transforming from temperate to dry. This phenomenon is extending northwards. The long period of high temperatures and low rainfall in Europe in the summer of 2018 reminded us of the pressing importance of this problem. 

We examined whether the risk of desertification in the EU was being effectively and efficiently addressed. We assessed whether the Commission had made adequate use of available data and whether the EU had taken steps to combat desertification in a coherent way. We audited projects addressing desertification in the EU, and examined whether the EU’s commitment to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030, whereby the amount and quality of land resources remains stable or increases, is likely to be achieved. 

We conclude that, while desertification and land degradation are current and growing threats in the EU, the Commission does not have a clear picture of these challenges, and the steps taken to combat desertification lack coherence. The Commission has not assessed progress towards meeting the commitment to achieving land degradation neutrality by 2030. 

Although the Commission and the Member States collect data about various factors with an impact on desertification and land degradation, the Commission has not analysed it to come up with a conclusive assessment on desertification and land degradation in the EU. 

There is no EU-level strategy on desertification and land degradation. Rather, there is a range of strategies, action plans and spending programmes, such as the Common Agricultural Policy, the EU Forest Strategy, or the EU strategy on adaptation to climate change, which are relevant to combating desertification, but which do not focus on it. 

Desertification-related EU projects are spread across different EU policy areas – mainly rural development, but also environment and climate action, research, and regional policy. These projects can have a positive impact on combating desertification, but there are some concerns about their long-term sustainability. 

In 2015, the EU and Member States committed to achieving land degradation neutrality in the EU by 2030. However, there has not been a full assessment of land degradation at EU level, and no methodology has been agreed on how to do so. There has been no coordination between the Member States, and the Commission has not provided practical guidance on this topic. There is not yet a clear, shared vision in the EU about how land degradation neutrality will be achieved by 2030. 

Based on the above, we make recommendations to the Commission aimed at better understanding land degradation and desertification in the EU; assessing the need to enhance the EU legal framework for soil; and stepping up efforts towards delivering the commitment made by the EU and the Member States to achieve land degradation neutrality in the EU by 2030.