Poland has announced that it does not intend to comply with the fresh regulations and will keep the current level of protection of wolves.
The decision was taken by 371 MEPs, with 162 votes against and 37 abstentions. This is the last minute that Parliament could block change, but it did not.
The fresh regulations form part of the European Commission's proposals to revise the Habitats Directive – 1 of the key papers protecting biodiversity within the Natura 2000 network. Although the legislative process is progressing, proceedings are inactive pending before the EU Court of Justice, which may dispute the compatibility of decisions with Community law.
The decision raises strong opposition among pro-animal activists
The appeal was lodged by an global coalition of 22 natural organizations, including Poland. If the Court considers the simplification of the position to be illegal, the EU proposal to the Berne Convention will besides be repealed. The European Parliament has announced that the fresh classification will give associate States more opportunities to regulate the number of wolves, especially where their presence is caused by social and economical controversy.
However, experts and scientists did not leave a dry thread on MEPs' decisions. Nature conservation organisations point out that the European Commission has omitted applicable technological evidence indicating real risks to the wolf population. The global Union for the Protection of Nature (IUCN) reports that as many as six of the 9 populations of cross-border predators stay in a state requiring urgent protection.
The Commission argues that the wolf population has increased in fresh decades, reaching over 20,000 individuals. However, opponents of change emphasize that the number itself does not show stableness – many populations are inactive susceptible to decline and dispersal. According to naturalists, reducing protection is not only a departure from evidence-based policy but besides a possible violation of EU law. Wolves in more than half of their scope are considered susceptible or threatened with extinction.
Over 700 scientists protested the planned changes. In their view, wolves should stay in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive, guaranteeing them the highest level of protection, both in terms of conservation and population reconstruction.
"Thinkers turn on the spiral of fear"
Naturalists inform that shooting does not solve problems – it can lead to the demolition of wolf families, which paradoxically increases the hazard of attacks on livestock. As environmentalist Radosław Ślusarczyk says, behind the decision lies political populism and force of the hunting lobby. – Hunters turn on the spiral of fear, and they do it only to be able to shoot themselves into another genre," he emphasises.
Experts point out that alternatively of reaching for arms, the Union should invest in proven methods of coexistence with chaotic animals – specified as preventive systems or compensation for harm caused by predators. Poland could be a model in this respect.
The retreat from wolf protection began in September 2023 erstwhile EC president Ursula von der Leyen called for a safety search after the wolf was expected to kill her pony Dolly.
In December 2023, Polish Deputy Climate Minister Mikołaj Dorożala declared that Poland would not introduce fresh regulations and would hold the current level of protection of the species.
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