#Act4 Wildlife Protection for the species is under threat following movement from the European Commission towards a proposal that would downgrade wolves’ status of protection, which could give Member States more flexibility to authorise culling. Wolves in the EU at risk of having protection downgraded 6 September 2023
#Act4 Wildlife On the 15th of March, a letter co-signed by 29 NGOs was sent to the European Commission, more specifically Commissioner Sinkevičius (DG Environment), requesting to re-open the infringement proceedings against Sweden regarding its wolf management policies and investigate the legality of its lynx management policies. The European Commission response to a letter sent by 29 NGOs on the recent wolf and lynx hunting licences issued in Sweden 28 March 2023
#Act4 Wildlife On 24 November, the European Parliament adopted a Joint Motion for Resolution calling for downlisting wolves’ protection status under the Bern Convention and threatening the continuous protection of large carnivores. These statements ignore scientific evidence and best practices demonstrating that coexistence is the solution. The European Parliament votes to downgrade protection of large carnivores 24 November 2022
#Act4 Wildlife This resulted from campaigns seeking to downgrade legal protection for wolves and large carnivores, and use culling as a strategy to prevent livestock depredation. Joint Motion for Resolution on wolves and large carnivores will be voted by the European Parliament this Thursday 24 November in the November Plenary session in Strasbourg 23 November 2022
#Act4 Wildlife In December, the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced a proposal to kill 20 wolves from 4 packs outside the reindeer herding area this winter, with the supposed purpose of "regulating the growth of the wolf population, preventing damage and promoting the acceptability of the wolf”. Finland proceeds with plans to kill wolves 6 January 2022 Susiryhmä
#Act4 Wildlife The long expected guidance document of the European Commission has finally been published. Thanks to Eurogroup for Animals’ active participation in the EC stakeholder working group, most of our recommendations were taken into account. New Guidance document on Protected Species is published 14 October 2021
#Act4 Wildlife Finland's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry wolf population management group ended up supporting a quota based system for the hunting of entire wolf packs and wolf pairs, which is illegal under EU law. Luonto-Liitto announced that they could not support such a decision and thus withdrew from the working group entirely. Luonto-Litto leaves Finland’s wolf working group after quota based hunting plan approved 3 June 2021 Susiryhmä
#Act4 Wildlife Eurogroup for Animals has signed a letter together with its member organisations, Luonto-Liitto, Animalia, SEY, and other organisations to demand that the European Commission take action and seriously intervene in Finnish wolf policy. Letter to the EU Commission: Action must be taken now on wolves in Finland 11 February 2021 Susiryhmä
#Act4 Wildlife On 29 January 2021, the French National Assembly approved on first reading an ambitious text on pets and captive wild species. It must now be submitted to the Senate for adoption in March. Fight against animal abuse : historic vote at the French National Assembly 2 February 2021 FBB
#Act4 Wildlife More than half of Swiss voters (51.9%) have rejected parliament’s amended hunting law, which would have made it easier to shoot a wolf. “The result shows that the Swiss population wants to strengthen and not weaken species protection,” said Gabor von Bethlenfalvy, large carnivore specialist at WWF Switzerland. Swiss voters decide not to water down wolves protection 28 September 2020
#Act4 Wildlife Wolves and other large carnivores play an important role in ecosystems and should not be killed for hobby purposes. You have to learn to live side by side with wolves 23 September 2020 Susiryhmä
#Act4 Wildlife Spain’s Environmental Ministry for the region of Cantabria has authorised the killing of over 30 wolves. Spain’s environmental ministry authorises killing of over 30 wolves 7 September 2020
