Parliament has changed the protection status of wolves in the EU from “strictly protected” to “protected”, bringing it into line with the Bern Convention.

By 371 votes to 162, with 37 abstentions, Parliament backed the Commission's proposal to amend the Habitats Directive in order to align the protection status of wolves in the EU with the Bern Convention, lowering it from “strictly protected” to “protected”. The Commission put forward the proposal to change the protection status of wolves in the EU following a request from Parliament.

Member States will now have greater flexibility in managing wolf populations, in order to improve the coexistence of these predators with people and to reduce the impact of the growing number of wolves in the EU. They will also be better able to take decisions tailored to the situation in a particular region.

Member States will have to continue to ensure the protection of wolves, and they will still be able to include the wolf in national legislation as a strictly protected species and to apply stricter protection measures.

Next steps

For the legislation to enter into force, it must now also be formally approved by the Council, which endorsed https://www.consilium.europa.eu/lv/press/press-releases/2025/04/16/habitats-directive-council-agrees-on-the-targeted-proposal-to-change-the-protection-status-of-the-wolf/ on 16 April 2025. The directive will enter into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU, and Member States will have 18 months to implement it.

According to Commission figures, there are more than 20 000 wolves in Europe, and their population and range are expanding. This conservation success has, however, led to growing conflicts with human activity in some regions, particularly involving livestock.