European countries reduced the status of wolf protection

The countries of Europe supported the proposal to reduce the status of the protection of wolves. According to Politico, this was a great victory for the European Union and farmers who demanded more freedom in the shooting of animals, which are allegedly threatened by cattle.

At a meeting in Strasbourg on Tuesday, December 3, members of the Berne Convention on the preservation of European wildlife and natural habitats approved a change in the status of wolves from a “strictly protected species” to a “protected species”.

This will simplify to the national authorities the solution of the issue of shooting animals. It is expected that the process will take about a year.

Politico writes that a decrease in the protection of wolves is a personal victory of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Layen. Her beloved Pony Dolly is biting the wolf in 2022. Von der Lyain called the solution "important news for European rural communities and farmers." In her opinion, a decrease in the protection of wolves is a "balanced approach to maintaining wildlife and protecting pets."

The decision was also welcomed by hunters. “There are still some legal obstacles, but now they can be overcome,” said Lorens Khudemaker, President of the European Federation of Hunters.

Among the countries that supported the proposal were Andorra, Armenia, Georgia, Iceland, Norway, North Macedonia, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine, as well as all 27 EU members. Great Britain rejected him, like Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovin, Monaco and Albania. Tunisia and Türkiye abstained.

The change will enter into force after three months if there are no objections of at least one third, or 17, countries of the Berne Convention of the Council of Europe.