Copa and Cogeca welcome today’s vote in the European Parliament, where a large majority of MEPs (371 in favour, 162 against, 37 abstentions) adopted the European Commission’s proposed amendment to the Habitats Directive regarding the protection status of the wolf.
This vote follows the procedural step initiated by the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention in December 2024 and marks a significant and long-overdue development in enabling EU Member States and other European countries to apply effective management and monitoring of growing wolf populations across the continent.
The protection granted to wolves since 1992 has been instrumental in the species’ recovery in Europe. However, 30 years of relying exclusively on derogations for capturing, relocating, or culling wolves is no longer a sustainable approach. Derogations are, by nature, exceptional and reactive. It is now time to shift toward a science-based and proactive management model—one that ensures not only the stability of the wolf population, but also its long-term genetic health through controlled and active management.
We welcome the fact that EU institutions are responding to the legitimate concerns of farmers and rural communities, who are directly affected by increasing wolf populations and the lack of appropriate tools to manage the species. Today’s vote in Parliament is an important step—but the decisive moment will come in the Council, when Member States must now endorse this amendment.
Copa and Cogeca call on all Member States to act with the same urgency as the European Parliament and to work closely with local stakeholders in developing effective, pragmatic management plans. Only through such collaboration can we achieve true coexistence between humans and large carnivores in Europe’s rural areas.
Fonte: Copa Cogeca
