The Environment Committee in the European Parliament is expected to opt for urgency procedure on the amendment of the Habitats Directive on the protection status of the wolf, according to a parliamentary source that spoke to Agence Europe. The date of the plenary vote has yet to be confirmed.
The European Commission has proposed aligning the wolf’s conservation status in European legislation following the entry into force of its amendment to the Bern Convention on Friday 7 March (see EUROPE 13595/19).
The parties to the Bern Convention adopted an amendment to change the status of the wolf from ‘strictly protected species’ to ‘protected species’ in December 2024 (see EUROPE 13537/15).
Aware that the die has been cast on the wolf's conservation status, the Environment Committee is opting for the urgency procedure in order to avoid the full reopening of the Habitats Directive, as some farming associations would like.
In a letter sent by Emma Fourreau (The Left, French) to the EU environment ministers on Monday 17 March, she called on the Council of the EU not to support the proposed revision of the Habitats Directive.
“The new classification opens the door to more flexible regulations which, de facto, facilitate the culling of wolves and compromise the stability of populations that are still fragile in many parts of Europe”, explains the MEP in the letter co-signed by 32 MEPs from The Left and from the Greens/EFA.
According to the latter, “the argument that the wolf is overpopulated has no scientific basis whatsoever”, insofar as their stability on a European scale is not assured, despite the increase in certain regions.
The MEP also noted the risk of an increase in attacks on herds if wolves were arbitrarily culled, which leads to disorganisation of wolf packs. “The only effective and sustainable approach is to put in place coexistence plans that guarantee both the protection of wolves and that of pastoral and agricultural activities”, say MEPs.
Read the letter: https://aeur.eu/f/g0o (Original version in French by Florent Servia)