The EU Commission has today published its long-awaited plans for dealing with wolves. Specifically, the Commission wants the wolf to be downgraded from "strictly protected" to "protected" under the Bern Convention. Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, comments.
"The EU Commission's decision is deeply disappointing. It is not technically, but solely politically motivated. Apparently, the main aim is to please the conservative camp and their lobby groups. It is now up to Germany to position itself accordingly within the EU and speak out in favor of maintaining the strict protection status."
The German Animal Welfare Federation refers to the statements cited by the Commission itself as well as the analysis of the data collected in September on the wolf population in the EU. This shows that various measures have proven to be effective in the individual states and regions in preventing wolf kills of grazing animals, including in Germany. At the same time, herd protection was and is still not sufficiently applied in many places. In contrast, stronger interventions in the wolf population, which would enable the desired reduction in protection status, do not necessarily lead to a reduction in livestock depredations and are of no help to affected farmers.
The EU Commission's proposal requires a majority of EU member states before it can be submitted by the EU to the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention. The next meeting of the Standing Committee is scheduled for the end of 2024.
