NGO reaction to the European Commission’s communication on wolves in Europe

The document argues that the European Commission's communication regarding wolves in Europe is misleading and lacks scientific basis, particularly concerning threats to humans and livestock. The NGOs contend that the Commission violated its own 'Better Regulation' guidelines by conducting a non-transparent 18-day consultation via email instead of the standard 12-week portal process. They emphasize that existing tools, such as the Habitats Directive and State Aid guidelines, already provide sufficient flexibility for managing conflicts and funding livestock protection, and that changing the conservation status of wolves would jeopardize a major conservation success.

• The NGOs claim the European Commission's messaging regarding the danger wolves pose to humans and livestock is not based on science, noting that fatal encounters with humans are exceptional and livestock damage is often due to a lack of physical protection or supervision.
• The European Commission is accused of breaching its 'Better Regulation' rules by limiting a data collection period on wolf-related challenges to 18 days via email, whereas guidelines require public consultations to be published on the 'Have your Say' portal for 12 weeks.
• Existing EU frameworks already allow for the management of wolf-human conflict, including the Habitats Directive's exemptions and State Aid guidelines that permit Member States to provide 100% compensation for livestock damages and reimbursement for preventative investments like electric fences.
• Despite population growth, wolves have not reached a Favourable Conservation Status across Europe; specifically, 6 of the 9 transboundary wolf populations in the EU are classified as vulnerable or near threatened.

APA

ClientEarth (2023). NGO reaction to the European Commission’s communication on wolves in Europe. https://www.clientearth.org/media/kiljmgm1/23_09_11_joint-ngo-letter-on-wolves_final.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. NGO reaction to the European Commission’s communication on wolves in Europe. 2023. https://www.clientearth.org/media/kiljmgm1/23_09_11_joint-ngo-letter-on-wolves_final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=NGO reaction to the European Commission’s communication on wolves in Europe |date=11 September 2023 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/kiljmgm1/23_09_11_joint-ngo-letter-on-wolves_final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2023ngo, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{NGO reaction to the European Commission’s communication on wolves in Europe}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/kiljmgm1/23_09_11_joint-ngo-letter-on-wolves_final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }