With 371 votes “for“, 162 “against“ and 37 “abstains“, the European Parliament approved a change in the protection regime for wolves - from “strictly protected“ to simply “protected“, the institution announced, News.bg reports.
The decision comes at the initiative of the European Commission, in response to increased pressure from some member states that are experiencing serious difficulties with wolf attacks on farm animals. The new regulation will give EU countries more flexibility in managing the populations of this predator.
The aim of the change is to facilitate coexistence between people and wildlife, while limiting the damage to livestock farming caused by the increasing number of wolves.
Despite the changed status, countries remain obliged to maintain a favourable conservation status for the species. In addition, each country can independently maintain wolves as a strictly protected species in its national legislation and apply stricter measures for their protection.
The decision was adopted under an urgent procedure after the EU Council approved the text on 16 April 2025. The directive will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal. Member States will then have 18 months to bring their national laws into line with the new rules.
According to the European Commission, there are over 20,000 wolves living in Europe, and their numbers and distribution continue to increase. In Bulgaria, according to data for the period 2013-2018, the population is estimated at between 800 and 1,200 individuals, although their exact number remains unclear.