Overview

• The European Parliament approved the downgrade of wolves' protection status with a 371–162 vote, with 37 abstentions, on May 8, 2025.
• The change aligns EU law with the Bern Convention's 2024 decision, which reclassified wolves as 'protected' effective March 2025.
• Member states can now permit regulated wolf hunting under strict criteria while ensuring the species does not become endangered.
• The decision reflects concerns over the impact of a growing wolf population, now at 20,300, on livestock and rural livelihoods.
• Environmentalists and green lawmakers argue the move lacks scientific basis and could undermine decades of conservation progress.