05/06/25 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 5 June, the Council of the European Union gave its final approval to the revision of the Habitats Directive, which changes the protection status of the wolf from “strictly protected” to “protected” (see EUROPE 13636/14). The Habitats Directive is now aligned with the Bern Convention, which was updated at the end of 2024 (see EUROPE 13537/15). Member States will now have greater flexibility in how they manage wolf populations. The legislative act will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union before coming into force twenty days later. Read the European Commission’s proposal to amend the Habitats Directive: https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-7018-2025-INIT/en/pdf (FS)