EU countries Wednesday backed a proposal from the European Commission to downgrade the protection status of the wolf in Europe, after Germany decided at the last minute to back the proposal, according to three diplomats.
This is a big political win for Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who personally announced the proposal one year ago and followed its negotiation closely, but also because it was a campaign promise of her political family — the center-right European People’s Party — during the EU elections earlier this year.
A number of EU governments had already pledged to support the proposal, including France, Italy, Sweden and Finland, but Germany held out until the last minute. Its support during a meeting of EU ambassadors secured a qualified majority of EU countries in favor.
Downgrading the protection level of the large carnivore will make it easier to take down problematic wolves when they’re threatening livestock by giving national authorities more flexibility to grant killing orders.
