Delivery of the distinguished Service Medal of the International Unionof Soil Sciences to Mr. Martin Hojsík
Rome | May 26th, 2026
This week, the IUSS Distinguished Service Medal was delivered to Martin Hojsík by the National Agricultural and Food Centre at Lužianky (Slovakia). The event took place during the meeting of the National Soil Hub and the Mirror Group for Soil of the Slovak Republic within the EJP SOIL programme, organized by the Soil Science Society of Slovakia and the Department of Soil Science and Conservation of Bratislava. The event was attended by different stakeholders, including representatives of the NPPC DG, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, and of the National Mirror Group on Soil of the Slovak Republic.
The International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) recognises world soil leaders who have translated the science of soil into action. The Distinguished Service Medal is equivalent to the Nobel Prize of IUSS. Previous recipients of the award include the Late King of Thailand (His Excellency King Bhumibol Adulyadej), His Excellency Mr. Stéphane Le Foll of France, Prof. Dr. Klaus Töpfer of Germany, HE Mr. Aziz Akhannouch of the Kingdom of Morocco, the Hon. Penelope Wensley A. C. of Australia, and Senator Robert Black of Canada.
Martin Hojsík has transformed scientific necessity into historic legislative action. Martin Hojsík is a Slovak Member and Vice-President of the European Parliament, and a leading voice on climate action, biodiversity protection, animal welfare, hazardous chemicals regulation, and fundamental rights. He is active across several key parliamentary committees, including ENVI (Environment, Public Health and Food Safety), ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy), EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs), and the Special Committee on the Housing Crisis (HOUS), where he contributed to the European Parliament’s work on affordable housing in the EU. In his role as Vice-President, he also focuses on artificial intelligence and digital transformation. Before entering politics, he led international advocacy and animal protection campaigns for organisations including Greenpeace International, ActionAid, and FOUR PAWS. As a Member of the European Parliament and Vice-President of the Parliament, Martin has been a tireless bridge between science, policy, and practice. His most remarkable achievement to date has been his role as lead rapporteur for the Directive on Soil Monitoring and Resilience, which was finally approved on 23 October 2025.
This is not just another regulation. It is a milestone for Europe. For the first time, the European Union has adopted a law dedicated specifically to soils, recognising them on a continental scale as essential living systems—systems that sustain biodiversity, regulate water, store carbon, support food production, and strengthen climate resilience. Martin Hojsik, with the help of the soil scientific community, helped revive the EU Soil Directive, filling the long-standing legislative gap for this natural resource, as both air and water have their own legislative frameworks on the EU level. He helped build support for the importance of this resource in the European Parliament and built a majority in favour of legislation that had not been on the Commission’s agenda during the previous mandate. He served as lead rapporteur for the legislation in Parliament, helping to deliver the first common EU legislation on soil. Despite the very difficult political environment, and a number of shadow rapporteurs not favouring such law, he succeeded in finding a compromise and in securing the adoption of the law. Under Martin’s leadership, this law has:
established a framework to achieve healthy soils across the European Union by 2050;
introduced harmonised indicators for soil monitoring across all Member States;
affirmed that healthy soils are essential to food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity;
encouraged bottom-up governance through the creation of “soil districts” to promote the exchange of best practices across borders.
Martin Hojsík, through his work, has transformed soil science into a practical policy framework at the European level, one of the central aims of the IUSS Decade of Soil Sciences for Sustainable Development (DSSD), launched under the motto “Healthy Soils for Humanity.” This Decade reminds us that progress on many of the Sustainable Development Goals is being held back by the limited attention still given to soil health, and it calls for a stronger connection between scientific knowledge and public policy.
For his distinguished service in public life, his leadership in advancing soil policy, and his unwavering support for the soil science community, the IUSS is proud to have bestowed this medal upon Martin Hojsík. IUSS thanks Prof. Jaroslava Sobocká, President of the Slovak Pedological Society and an IUSS Full Member, for organising the event and hosting participants.
