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Ursula von der Leyen has backed a proposal to reintroduce the hunting of wolves by downgrading their protected standing, prompting accusations from campaigners that the European Commission chief is sacrificing the animal for political achieve.
The destiny of Europe’s wolves has develop into a totem in a broader push by the conservative proper, of which von der Leyen is a member, to win again the assist of farmers who’ve turned to extra radical actions in latest elections inside the EU. The animal can also be symbolic in debates concerning the pursuit of environmental targets by city-dwelling policymakers on the expense of rural pursuits.
Von der Leyen, who is anticipated to announce her intention to run once more as fee president after EU-wide elections in June, is beneath strain from her European People’s social gathering to present a extra pleasant face to farmers who argue that they’re being penalised by Brussels’ environmental legal guidelines.
She has additionally been personally affected by the species: her 30-year-old pony was killed final 12 months by a German wolf identified by authorities in Lower Saxony as GW950m.
Wolves have been thought of a “strictly protected” species beneath the Bern Convention, signed by 50 international locations, since 1979. At the time their populations have been deemed to be in decline, however there was growing strain from the agricultural foyer lately to allow them to be culled.
Brussels’ proposal on Wednesday, if permitted by two-thirds of the Bern Convention’s signatories, would imply that the wolf’s conservation standing could be downgraded from “strictly protected” to “protected” and permit the species to be hunted.
“The concentration of wolf packs in some European regions has become a real danger especially for livestock,” von der Leyen mentioned in a press release. “I am deeply convinced that we can and will find targeted solutions to protect both biodiversity and our rural livelihoods.”
But environmentalists mentioned that there was no proof for the transfer. “This is an outrageous announcement that has no scientific justification but is motivated purely by personal reasons and undermines not just the protection status of the wolf, but with it all nature conservation efforts in the EU,” mentioned Sabien Leemans, senior biodiversity coverage officer at WWF Europe.
Bas Eickhout, a Dutch lawmaker from the Greens, mentioned the wolf had develop into a “political token” and a part of the continued “attack by conservatives” on the character agenda. “Everyone is always talking about [von der Leyen’s] horse — that didn’t help of course — but there’s political pressure from the parliament,” he mentioned.
The EU voted towards a Swiss effort in 2022 to have the wolf’s Bern Convention standing downgraded.
Wolves kill greater than 65,500 head of livestock within the EU yearly, principally sheep and goats, in accordance to a fee evaluation. Spain, France and Italy reported probably the most wolf assaults.
Some member states have exemptions to environmental safety guidelines to enable them to hold wolf populations beneath management. The fee report mentioned that “deliberate and accidental killing by humans” was the primary reason for wolf deaths.
It additionally mentioned that “in some of the German federal states with the highest number of wolves, the frequency of wolf attacks on livestock has decreased significantly in recent years, which was associated to the use of adequate preventive measures”, No deadly assaults on people have been reported within the final 40 years.
Tom Vandenkendelaere, a Flemish lawmaker from the EPP group, mentioned von der Leyen’s announcement was “emblematic” of the German politician’s want to distance herself from a beforehand “more ideological approach” from Brussels in direction of the setting and agriculture. “EPP has always defended working with farmers and not against them,” he mentioned.
The announcement comes within the wake of a collection of choices by the fee to delay or water down legislative proposals that will impression rural communities, resembling a invoice to enhance the sustainability of meals techniques and animal welfare guidelines.
Pekka Pesonen, secretary-general of Copa Cogeca, which represents European farmers, described the fee’s wolf proposal as a “Christmas present come early” and an indication that von der Leyen was now recognising agricultural considerations.
Pesonen mentioned he had by no means personally come throughout a wolf however that they have been inflicting havoc with populations of white-tailed deer in his native Finland. “It’s like McDonald’s” for wolves, he mentioned, “especially in winter.”
