On Wednesday 20 December, the European Commission proposed lowering the level of protection afforded to wolves in the EU, deeming that their excessive numbers now represent a danger, particularly to livestock.
Under the European Habitats Directive of 1992, most wolf populations in Europe benefit from ‘strict protection’, with the possibility of derogations.
The Commission is proposing to move to simple protection status, which is more flexible and makes it easier to eliminate wolves considered to be too numerous in certain regions. The change in the wolf’s protection status is proposed under the international Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, to which the EU and its Member States are parties.
This proposal, called for by livestock farmers in several countries, still has to be approved by the EU Member States.
“The comeback of wolves is good news for biodiversity in Europe, but the concentration of wolf packs in some European regions has become a real danger especially for livestock“, commented the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
For the Commission, the return of the wolf to parts of the EU from which it has long been absent is leading to increasing conflict with local farming and hunting communities. The number of wolves in the European Union has risen sharply over the last 20 years, it states.
There are now more than 20,000 of them in 23 EU countries (14,300 in 2016), and these packs are growing and occupying ever larger territories, it claims, based on data collected at its request in the Member States.
This proposal follows the Commission’s announcement in September 2023 that it would decide, on the basis of the data collected, on a proposal to modify, if necessary, the wolf’s protection status (see EUROPE 13242/5).
As stated in a letter (https://aeur.eu/f/a75 ) sent by Commissioners Sinkevičius and Wojciechowski to EU ministers, the Commission is helping national and local authorities to reduce the risk of predation. Various measures have proved effective when properly implemented and adapted to the local context.
Copa-Cogeca (cooperatives and agricultural organisations in the EU) welcomed the fact that the Commission is listening to the position of the European Parliament. “It's not a question of eradication, but of ensuring a truly harmonious coexistence between livestock farmers and wolves”, according to Copa-Cogeca.
Jérémy Decerle (Renew Europe, French) welcomed a proposal that could help “make the working conditions of thousands of farmers more liveable”.
For Caroline Roose (Greens/EFA, French), on the other hand, the proposal, which has no scientific or economic basis, “will not resolve the issue of cohabitation and will endanger biodiversity” (see EUROPE 13249/15).
NGOs are crying wolf. The question of the number of wolves present in different European countries is at the heart of heated debate - and a real battle of figures - between livestock farmers and environmental protection associations.
According to the WWF, this is a “scandalous” proposal, which has no scientific justification. Ms von der Leyen is “deliberately sacrificing decades of work to protect nature for her own political interests”, says the NGO.
The NGO Eurogroup For Animals is calling on EU Member States to vote against this proposal.
Votes. For the protection status of the wolf to be changed, a qualified majority vote in favour of the proposal will have to be taken at the EU ‘Environment’ Council, which is not guaranteed at this stage. If adopted, the proposal will be submitted by the EU to the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention. Depending on the outcome of the discussions, the Commission would then be in a position to propose an adjustment to the wolf’s protection status within the EU.
Link to the proposal: https://aeur.eu/f/a74 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)