The EU countries' ambassadors gave their approval on Wednesday to propose an amendment to the European Council's so-called Bern Convention on the protection of plants and animals. A formal decision from the EU's Council of Ministers is expected on Thursday morning.
It will, of course, make it easier for us to manage the wolf. You lower the protection status from "strictly protected" to "protected" and hopefully make it easier to continue the government's ambition to have a lower wolf population in Sweden, notes Kullgren.
The result may be that it becomes easier to allow wolf hunting in most EU countries – and that Sweden can avoid being taken to the EU court for the hunting that has already been carried out for several years.
There has been an ongoing case with some correspondence over time on a number of different issues, but it is clear that this is a step in the right direction: that you can manage the wolf somewhat easier, says the Minister for Rural Affairs.
An amendment to the Bern Convention can be implemented at the earliest in early December and will also require an amendment to the EU's species and habitats directive.
The EU's species and habitats directive states that wolves may only be killed under strict conditions and special circumstances. The protection applies to almost the entire EU, except for a few countries in Eastern Europe, northern Finland, and parts of Spain and Greece.
Sweden's wolf hunting has long been questioned by the EU Commission, which has not yet taken Sweden to the EU court on the matter.
The wolf population in the EU is estimated to be around 19,000 animals.
