More than 300 civil society groups call on the EU to strengthen, not undermine,
efforts to live with wolves. Member States should strengthen wolf protection, not
weaken it.

A large coalition of civil society and animal welfare organisations is calling on EU Member
States (1) to reject the European Commission’s proposal to downgrade wolf protection under
the Bern Convention. Instead, the coalition is calling for increased efforts to promote
coexistence with large carnivores including preventive measures, and to safeguard decades
of conservation success.

As EU Member States must decide on the European Commission’s politically motivated
proposal, a large coalition of civil society organisations and 300K Europeans are calling on
the EU to:

1. Promote coexistence: strengthen preventive measures such as the use of fences and
sheep dogs and make them more accessible to farmers.
2. Enforce protection: Ensure that illegal wolf hunting is eradicated and uphold the EU’s
Habitats Directive.
3. Raise awareness: Provide science-based education on the ecological and
socio-economic benefits of wolves.
4. Respect science: Base any changes to wolf protection on rigorous data, not political
pressure.

“According to media reports, there has been a lot of political pressure on Member States to
accept the European Commission’s unscientific and politically motivated proposal,” say the
organisers. They stress that this is a crucial moment for Environment Ministers. “Wolves
must remain strictly protected – not just for the sake of the species and science, but for the
health of our ecosystems and the credibility of the European Union. If the EU wants to be a
trusted ally of nature and a global leader, we must set the right example now”.

ENDS

(1) Link to the full statement
(2) On International Wolf Day (13 August), Avaaz launched a petition calling on the
Environment Ministers of the EU Member States to ensure that wolves remain under
strict protection.
(3) At the end of 2023, nearly 300 NGOs signed a joint letter urging the President of the
European Commission to maintain existing protections for wolves across Europe.
“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,” they said.

For further information, please contact Annick Hus via annick.hus@eeb.org