Less protected status of the wolf: still a long way to go

The decision of the Bern Convention to extend the possibility of shooting wolves has not yet had any consequences. The non-EU countries that are party to the treaty have already stated that they do not need it. And the EU countries still have to go through all kinds of procedures.


However, the treaty countries have taken an important step towards more flexibility in wolf management. The countries have agreed to a change in the protected status of the wolf. Lowering the status means that local governments will have more opportunities to tackle problem wolves. 

Now the European Habitat legislation, which was based on this treaty, still needs to be amended. This will be done through the regular process, with the EU countries and the European Parliament taking the final decision. In practice this means that it will take some time before EU countries will notice any of the amendments. 

A year ago, the (previous) European Commission made a proposal to downgrade the protected status of the wolf from 'strictly protected' to 'protected'. The Commission did this based on an analysis of the wolf situation in the European Union. This showed that there are now more than 20,000 wolves in 23 different EU member states. 

Now that the lowered status has been adopted, the treaty amendment will enter into force on 7 March 2025. Only then can the European Commission make a proposal to amend the EU Habitats Directive. This European law states to what extent an animal species is protected and must therefore be amended to transfer the wolf to a lower protection level. 

After approval of this amendment by the European Parliament and the relevant European ministers, the European part of the process is completed. It is not yet clear whether a simple or a (larger) qualified majority is required in the EU Council of Ministers for the amendment of the Habitats Directive. It is then up to The Hague to amend the lowered protected status of the wolf in Dutch law.