Europe turn your back to the lobos: the countries of the European Union agree lowering the wolf’s conservation status. The proposal has been approved at ambassadorial level and ministers still need to give their approval. Spain and Ireland are against; while Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta and Belgium abstained.
European Union Member States have adopted a plan that changes the conservation status of the wolf, allowing greater flexibility in the management of this species. The measure was approved thanks to the Germany’s change in positionwho had abstained until now and ultimately voted in favour.
The countries of the European Union this Wednesday supported the initiative to downgrade the protection status of the wolf, from “strictly protected” to only “protected”in line with the proposal put forward by the European Commission in December last year.
A majority of Member States spoke in favor of this change during an ambassadorial meeting Spain and Ireland do not agree with the proposalwhile Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta and Belgium abstained, as diplomatic sources confirmed to various authorities.
“Adjusting the protection status will be an important step to address the challenges posed by the increase in wolf populations, while maintaining the overall objective of achieving and maintaining a favorable conservation status for the species,” said a representative at a press conference European Commission.
Moving from the category of ‘strict protection’ to that of simple ‘protection’
One of the countries that has carried the most weight in tipping the balance towards reducing wolf protection has been Germany, which defends the “coexistence of wolves and cattle.”.
So, The change could go from the category of ‘strict protection’ to that of simple ‘protection’ within the Berne Convention of the Council of Europe, a preparatory step so that Brussels can later propose a revision of the community rules affecting the management of this species. A total of 50 members (including the 27 EU countries) subscribe to this European convention, founded in 1979.
The support of the Twenty-Seven was a necessary step to submit a request to the Council of Europe Convention to relax the protection of the wolfthat the Commission must present the amendment at least sixty days before the meeting of the Standing Committee scheduled for the week of December 2, so that it must table the amendment before Friday, September 27.
Wolf attacks on livestock
Brussels presented its proposal on December 20, 2023 with the aim of “making the management rules for this species more flexible”. faces the increase in attacks on livestock and conflicts with local communities in different parts of Europe.
The President of the European Commission herself, Ursula von der Leyen, already announced in November 2022 her intention to commission community services to conduct an “in-depth analysis” of the impact of wolf recovery on EU fields. The stance of German politics took place shortly afterwards, as the German press later reported: a wolf will kill a pony it owns.
Environmentalists were disappointed by the fatal decision
Alianza Verde, Ecologistas en Acción and WWF call it “disappointing” that the European Union has taken this first step to downgrade the wolf’s protection status.. According to him, the countries voted without taking scientific criteria into account.
For the coordinator of Green Alliance, Juantxo López de Uraldethe result of the vote was «embarrassing and disappointing«. According to him, the proposal by European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen “lacks any scientific support and is based only on political criteria supported by the populist right.” Because the decision comes at the expense of a new vote tomorrow, the party has urged all governments to reject the proposal.
On the other hand, Ecologists in action has warned about this Weakening protections for the species “will hinder the continued recovery of wolf populations and jeopardize efforts to promote coexistence between humans and large carnivores.”«. In the same way, in a message via social network X WWF has insisted that “Killing wolves solves nothing» and criticized the countries that voted in favor and gave in «to the pressure of reactionary sectors, without following scientific criteria».
Junta de Castilla y León, shamefully ‘satisfied’
The Minister of the Environment of Castilla y LeónJuan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones, has the «back“A their position to lower the wolf’s level of protection which 21 countries of the European Union supported this Wednesday and has criticized the ban “solely because of the ideology” of the Spanish government to hunt this canine throughout Spain.
«A great day for the cattle and another day of sadness and bewilderment at the position of a Government of Spain that does not understand the rural environmentdoes not defend our livestock and is contrary to the interests of Castile and Leon‘the counselor assured in statements to journalists in the corridors of the Courts of Castilla y León during next Wednesday’s plenary session.