“Wolves are vital for healthy ecosystems, but today’s vote treats them as a political problem, not as an ecological asset,” said Ilaria di Silvestre of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
The changes submitted by the Greens and the left called on Parliament to reject the bill, arguing that it establishes a “dangerous precedent for decision -making on conservation issues”. As expected, they did not bring together the necessary support.
Taken in the reticle
For the moment, the wolf is the only species strictly protected in the crossburs of the legislators, but that could change.
The brown bear of Europe is another strictly protected species whose status is subject to in -depth examination, in particular of the Slovak government.
Certain governments, including Austria, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia and Romania, have suggested downgrading other protected species such as bears, lynx, seals and corlolors.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Liese said that “we have to look at other species” which should face the same treatment as the wolf, like the cormorant, “it is for later, after a careful analysis”.
The directive will come into force 20 days after being published in the Official Journal of the EU. EU countries will then have 18 months to comply.
Politices
