Parallel to the integration process at the European level, similar processes take place within the Member States as well. With this perspective in mind the project "Best Practices for Integrating Environmental Protection Requirements into other Sector Policies" aims to highlight the integration processes in the Member States and to gain from them experiences for the further progression of the process.

The objective of the workshop "Soil Protection within the European Union", which took place on 9 - 11 November 1998 in Bonn, is to present and to discuss the different strategies and options for protecting soils on the European level. This is the first time that the development of soil protection policies is treated as a separate policy area and that it makes the subject of an European workshop.