Open letter: Decision on potential modification of the protection status of the wolf

Types: Letter, Position
Published: 18 December 2023
Size: 3.98 MB

Almost 300 NGOs have signed a joint letter calling on President of the European Commission to uphold existing protections of wolves across Europe.

The European Commission has recently committed to “decide on a proposal to modify, where appropriate, the status of protection of the wolf within the EU and to update the legal framework, to introduce, where necessary, further flexibility” before the end of 2023.

NGOs across Europe are concerned that such changes are being enacted in an intransparent manner, and based on limited, selective evidence and with no basis in scientific fact.

The consensus is unambiguous and our collective view could not be more clear: any changes to the status of the wolf in Europe must be based on scientific fact.

“Unless there is substantial new science-based evidence gathered by the European Commission services, we believe the science and public opinion are clear: the modification of the protection status of the wolf – either under the EU law or the Bern Convention – is not justified.”