European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned Monday, September 4, of the “real danger” of wolf packs in the European Union, announcing a possible review of the protection status for this animal. “The concentration of wolf packs in certain European regions has become a real danger for livestock and, potentially, for humans,” the German official said in a statement.
For the Commission, “the return of the wolf to areas of the EU where it was absent for a long time leads to more and more conflicts with local communities of farmers and hunters, in particular when measures aimed at preventing attacks on livestock are not fully implemented”. The Commission calls on “local communities, scientists and all interested parties to submit, by September 22, updated data on wolf populations and their impacts”.
The question of the number of wolves present in different European countries is at the heart of lively debates – and a real battle of figures – between breeders and environmental protection associations. “Based on the data collected, the Commission will decide on a proposal to modify, if necessary, the protection status of the wolf within the EU and to update the legal framework, in order to introduce, when it is necessary, more flexibility, in the light of the evolution of this species”, adds the European executive, specifying that this would come “to supplement the current possibilities offered by the legislation of the EU”.
Under the European Habitats Directive of 1992, most wolf populations in Europe enjoy strict protection, with the possibility of derogation. This scheme implements the requirements of the Berne International Convention. “I urge local and national authorities to take the necessary action. Indeed, current European legislation already allows them to do so,” said Ursula von der Leyen. Ursula von der Leyen has had a bad experience with canines herself: In September 2022, a wolf broke into a paddock on her family’s property in northern Germany and killed her old pony, Dolly.
