Determining the ‘favourable conservation status’ for the wolf in the EU and possibilities for doing so across borders

7.12.2020

Question for written answer  E-006658/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Lena Düpont (PPE), Christine Schneider (PPE), Peter Jahr (PPE), Norbert Lins (PPE), Marlene Mortler (PPE)

Over the past two decades, wolves have once more gained a foothold in Europe’s cultural landscape and have swiftly spread across wide areas. These population dynamics can be attributed to the success of Europe’s strict protection policy, which at the same time also results in economic harm and conflicts in rural regions.

Although this affects different Member States in very different ways, the concerns of the EU citizens impacted should be taken seriously. The procedure for determining the favourable conservation status of a species in the regions concerned is, however, seen by citizens as lacking in transparency and consistency. Moreover, wolves are characterised by having a large radius of movement within their territory but also between territories, with populations, packs and even individual animals spending time or causing damage in a number of Member States: of the nine wolf populations currently identified in the EU, eight move across borders.

• 1.In which EU Member States and, within those, in which biogeographical regions has a favourable conservation status for wolves been identified?
• 2.In each case, what specific reasons or evidence (quantitative and qualitative) enabled this to be determined?
• 3.What requirements does the Commission impose on cross-border wolf management between groups of Member States, and what are the criteria in this case for achieving the favourable conservation status?