Derogations from wolf hunting in Finland are strictly regulated, the Court of Justice of the EU ruled on Thursday 10 October in a judgment (Case C-674/17).
The Court ruled on the case of seven wolves in Finland, for which the Local Wildlife Office had issued a slaughter permit to hunters as part of a population control operation. This decision was challenged by a Finnish NGO which brought the case before a local court, which referred it to the Court.
Directive 92/43/EEC (conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora) must be interpreted "as precluding the adoption of decisions granting derogations to ban the intentional killing of wolves", says the Court.
Derogations are possible, subject to conditions, the Court specifies. The objective must be clearly documented, the objective pursued must not be achieved by any other solution and the difficulties encountered in controlling poaching "cannot constitute a sufficient element". It must be ensured that the derogations "will not harm the maintenance, in a favourable conservation status, of the populations of the species concerned". Any derogation must be preceded by an assessment of the conservation status of the populations of the species.
The Finnish court will check whether the conditions are met. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)