In a written answer on 16 July 2026, Environment Commissioner Ms Roswall clarified that Member States may introduce wolf population management in specific biogeographical regions once a favourable conservation status is established for those regions, without needing to cover all national biogeographical areas. The response, to a question by Renew MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen, addresses legal uncertainty for German farmers facing increasing wolf attacks on livestock.
The Commission explained that national biogeographic conservation status assessments, submitted every six years, are key for management decisions under the Habitats Directive. Population management is allowed only where it does not prevent achieving or maintaining favourable conservation status. The EU Court of Justice has confirmed that assessments must be made at local, biogeographical, and cross-border levels. Therefore, managing wolves in the Atlantic region (e.g., Lower Saxony) would not affect the Alpine region in Bavaria due to distance. The Commission also stressed that a Favourable Reference Population is essential for accurate conservation status assessment, meaning no valid assessment can be made without it.
The answer provides legal certainty for Germany, which has requested favourable status for the continental and Atlantic sub-regions but not yet for the Alpine region. It confirms that regional notification is sufficient for management measures in those areas, and that a full national status is not required. However, the Commission does not formally confirm national assessments but uses them for EU-level trend analysis. The reply signals a pragmatic approach, balancing biodiversity protection with farmers' needs, and may accelerate national transposition of the lowered protection status under the Habitats Directive.