Brussels, July 29, 2024, The Europe Today: In a landmark decision, the European Union’s top court has ruled against a regional declaration in Spain that permitted a limited number of wolves to be hunted. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) decreed that the Iberian wolf cannot be designated as a species for hunting at a regional level as long as its conservation status remains “unfavorable” at the national level.
The ECJ’s ruling specifically addressed the actions of the regional government of Castile and Leon, which had authorized the hunting of the Iberian wolf. This decision has been deemed a violation of the European Union’s Habitats Directive.
The legal challenge was initiated by the Association for the Conservation and Study of the Iberian Wolf (ASCEL), which contested the regional government’s plan. In its press release, the court stated, “The Court answers that the regional Law is contrary to the Habitats Directive. Indeed, the wolf cannot be designated as a huntable species in a part of the territory of a Member State when its conservation status at national level is unfavorable.”
The court criticized the regional government’s 2019 hunting plan, which permitted the hunting of 339 wolves, for failing to consider a survey indicating that wolves in Spain were in an unfavorable conservation status. The ECJ argued that with such poor conservation status, national authorities could even impose a total ban on hunting the species.
Following the ECJ’s ruling, the case will return to the Spanish court, which is expected to implement the ECJ’s decision against the regional hunting plan.
