Land, as a multifacetted and finite resource that sustains every aspect of our society, requires efficient use. Limiting overall land take and proper management of urban sprawl patterns are being recognised as increasingly urgent at the European level, and goals and options for EU contributions to a more sustainable management of land as a resource are currently being discussed. Thus, at the EU level, a number of milestones are proposed regarding land and soil that reflect Rio+20 global ambitions and related targets that are already supported by many EU policy instruments. Even though the great importance of the problem is now recognised, to date there is no regular monitoring of land consumption and urban sprawl in place at the European level. The ongoing research project entitled Urban Sprawl in Europe aims to measure urban sprawl in Europe and contribute to filling this gap. This article provides an overview of the main elements of the application of new urban sprawl measures at the European level, the strategy used for their implementation, as well as the first results.