European environment commissioner Janez Potočnik has warned there are serious threats to terrestrial ecosystems thanks to degradation of land, but the European Environmental Bureau singled out politicians in the UK, France and Germany as blocking progress on the issue.
Addressing a conference on soil, climate change and biodiversity in Brussels by video link, Mr Potočnik said soil biodiversity is under threat from land degradation.
Africa is particularly threatened and in Europe degradation affects more than two-thirds of Romania's countryside.
"We don't know enough about this complex, vital and non-renewable resource," he said.
"Ignorance, ladies and gentlemen, is not bliss. We will not meet our goals in terms of protecting biodiversity, fighting climate change and safeguarding our resources, until we understand soil - and the sooner the better."
But the EEB said that the conference was a useful reminder that, when it comes to soil, we are stuck in the mud.
"We have here some of the world's most renowned soil experts and scientists explaining how incredibly important soil is for virtually everything we do in life," said policy director Pieter de Pous.
"They are pointing at the hard truth that we are in serious danger of losing this precious resource. At the same time we still have a number of politicians, especially in Germany, France and the UK, who continue to argue it's every member state, or even every farmer, for themselves. What this conference shows is that this is not only a highly irresponsible position to take but also an untenable one: sooner or later Europe will need to adopt an effective policy to deal with these problems. It better be sooner."
