"Just because we can make law doesn't always mean we should". This was the view expressed by Independent M.E.P Marian Harkin in response to a call from the EU Parliament for a Framework Directive on Soil.

"I fully support sustainable policies on soil protection but I also believe that we need to fully apply the legislation that is already in place. We have substantial Environment legislation in place to protect soil, we have cross compliance under CAP, we have the Water Framework Directive and a Mining Water Directive. We need to fully apply and evaluate the legislation already on our statute books rather than adding another layer just because we can. 'I have heard no arguments to convince me that a Framework Directive on Soil is either necessary or proportional. I also believe it would not respect the subsidiary principle. The great diversity of soil types and conditions, the different climates and land uses would make it extremely difficult to formulate a Directive that would take all of these parameters into account. Sometimes we end up with 'a one size fits all' solution which simply adds to bureaucracy and to cost.
 
"The Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel promised simplification, the addition of a Framework Directive on Soil would be going in the opposite direction",  Marian Harkin M.E.P concluded.