Today, member states’ representatives (Coreper) approved the Council’s mandate on changing the protection status of the wolf, aligning EU legislation with the updated Bern Convention. The mandate includes a targeted amendment of the habitats directive – the EU law that implements the Bern Convention – to reflect the revised protection level of wolves from ‘strictly protected’ to ‘protected’.

The objective is to provide more flexibility in managing wolf populations across EU countries, in order to improve coexistence and to minimise the impact of the growing population of the species, including socioeconomic challenges. Member states may have stricter protection levels in place.

The Council’s position contains no changes vis-à-vis the initial Commission’s proposal on this targeted amendment of the habitats directive.

Member states’ representatives endorsed the objective of aligning EU legislation with the recent decision of the Bern Convention which entered into force on 7 March 2025, following the EU proposal to modify the protection status of the wolf from strictly protected to protected species.

While wolves would no longer be under the status of strictly protected species, member states should still ensure the wolf favourable conservation status and apply monitoring measures which may lead to temporary or local bans on hunting. Moreover, EU funding and support will still be available for coexistence and prevention measures and state aids for compensating affected farmers may remain in place.

However, member states still have the possibility to list the wolf as a strictly protected species in their national legislation, and to have stricter measures in place for its protection.

Next steps

The European Parliament aims to adopt its position in May 2025. If this position is identical to the Council’s mandate, the Council will then formally adopt the amending directive.

Background

The Bern Convention, which was adopted in 1979 and entered into force in 1982, is an international treaty under the aegis of the Council of Europe which aims to ensure the conservation and protection of wild plant and animal species and their natural habitats.

To this end, the convention imposes legal obligations on contracting parties, protecting over 500 wild plant species and more than 1 000 wild animal species.

Its decision-making body, the Standing Committee, meets every year in Strasbourg. The EU and its member states are parties to the Bern Convention.

On 20 December 2023, the Commission forwarded to the Council a proposal for a decision to adapt the protection status of the wolf under the Bern Convention. Changing the protection status of the wolf under the Bern Convention is a prerequisite for any corresponding changes to its status at EU level. On 26 September 2024, the Council adopted a decision to submit, on behalf of the European Union, a proposal to amend the conservation status of the wolf. The decision of the Bern Convention entered into force on 7 March, allowing the EU to adapt the corresponding laws.

The conservation status of the wolf has shown a positive trend over the last few decades. The species has successfully recovered across the European continent, and the estimated population has almost doubled in 10 years (from 11 193 in 2012 to 20 300 in 2023).

This continued expansion has led to socio-economic challenges, in particular as regards coexistence with human activities and damage to livestock. According to the latest available data from member states, wolves are estimated to kill at least 65 500 heads of livestock each year in the EU.