Europe has been much slower to adopt conservation tillage than North or South America, though around 16% of cultivated land in Europe is at risk for degradation and would thus benefit from the protective effects of conservation tillage. This article reviews the literature available to assess the potential environmental impacts of conservation tillage in Europe, compared to conventional tillage systems. Because adoption of conservation tillage has been so limited in Europe, the author draws from studies based in other continents when there is insufficient European research on a particular factor.