EU’s von der Leyen takes bite at wolves
The majority of EU nations have agreed to downgrade the protection offered to wolves from being hunted or captured, reflecting a personal win for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The head of the commission lost a 30-year-old pony named Dolly to a wolf attack in 2022. After the incident, von der Leyen allegedly waged a campaign to permit the resumption of wolf hunting, which European diplomats described as “strange,” “bizarre,” “puzzling,” and “pushy,” according to Politico.
The current ‘strictly protected’ status prohibits the deliberate targeting of the predators, unless they pose a serious threat to livestock or humans. The lower grade, which will come into force next March, simply requires regulation to protect wolf populations.
The EU countries safeguard their fauna under the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, which has also been signed by several African countries and Türkiye, among others. The vote to reduce the protection of wolves took place at a meeting in Strasbourg.
The European Commission proposed the measure in December 2023, citing estimates that the number of wolves in member states had grown from 11,193 in 2012 to 20,300 that year. They have been spotted in every EU country except Ireland, Cyprus and Malta, a report on the subject explained. The growing population was reportedly causing conflicts with local farming and hunting communities.
”The president of the European Commission is lobbying to rush a decision” on wolves, one source familiar with the matter complained in June, calling the pressure “very disruptive.” The EC, however, called von der Leyen’s actions absolutely normal.
The expert explained that there was pressure to have EU ambassadors issue political guidance on the matter in March, before actual technical work started. This was a “peculiar” move for legislation concerning the protection status of a species, said a diplomat from a second EU country.
”We need a balanced approach between the preservation of wildlife and the protection of our livelihoods,” von der Leyen said in a statement after the Tuesday vote.
Preservation groups have criticized the 2023 EU motion. The European Environmental Bureau, a network of more than 180 organizations, said that it went against the bloc’s “commitment to biodiversity protection and restoration.” It blamed the tensions on the fact that human communities had lost the skill of living next to wolves while their numbers were in decline.
