Give us freedom to protect ourselves from wolves

After years of persistent pressure from the EPP Group, EU Member States have today taken the first steps to adjust the protection status of wolves in Europe.

“This is a major breakthrough in tackling the sharp increase in wolf populations, which pose a growing threat to pastoral farming, tourism, and rural communities across Europe," said Herbert Dorfmann MEP, EPP Group Spokesman in the Parliament's Agriculture Committee.

Ambassadors of Member States agreed today on a position to downgrade the protection status of wolves in the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

“Today’s decision is the start of a long-overdue process to bring wolf populations under control. As these populations grow, their conservation status must evolve too,” emphasised Alexander Bernhuber MEP, who was in charge of the topic on behalf of the EPP Group in the Parliament’s Environment Committee.

“The move to downgrade the wolf’s protection under the Bern Convention opens the door for revising their status in the EU Habitats Directive. This will give Member States more freedom to implement effective management plans,” Bernhuber added.

“While some protective measures may still be needed to safeguard livestock, today's decision provides greater legal clarity and empowers rural communities to take the necessary steps to protect themselves,” Dorfmann explained.

“I am very pleased with this decision. People are worried about the increase in the population of wolves in Europe. They are no longer an endangered species, but they are a particular threat to grazing livestock. Livestock grazing is a near-natural form of agriculture, and it is being pushed back more and more by the wolf. It is therefore good that we are finally seeing the necessary action,” said Peter Liese MEP, EPP Group spokesman in the Parliament's Environment Committee.