The development of the Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection and the Soil Framework Directive resulted in an increasing demand for harmonized digital soil information in Europe. The World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) was endorsed and adopted as the system for soil correlation and international communication of the International Union of Soil Sciences IUSS) in 1998. It was also chosen by the JRC and ESBN as the common scheme for harmonized soil maps and databases for Europe. The system allows identifying and characterizing similar soils from different regions or countries with the same terminology. The diagnostic categories (horizons, properties, materials) and the so called qualifiers of the WRB carry important information on soil properties. The paper will demonstrate how soil classification information of different origin can be harmonized using the WRB and how a database that stores the mentioned WRB categories may serve as information source for identifying and delineating risk areas of soil degradation.