Renew MEP Jan-Christoph Oetjen has asked the European Commission to clarify whether a favourable conservation status notification for individual biogeographical sub-regions is legally sufficient to allow wolf population management in Germany, or whether all three relevant regions must be covered. The question, submitted on 7 May 2026, seeks to resolve legal uncertainties for farmers facing increasing wolf attacks on grazing livestock.
Oetjen's written question notes that Germany has so far requested favourable conservation status for the wolf only in the continental and Atlantic sub-regions, leaving the alpine region unaddressed. He asks whether this partial notification permits management measures in those regions if the Commission confirms the status, and whether a favourable reference population must be established to ensure legal certainty for interventions.
The question follows a first step taken with the lowering of the wolf's protection status under the Habitats Directive, but Oetjen points out that transposition into national measures is progressing slowly. The MEP's inquiry targets three specific legal points: the sufficiency of sub-regional notifications, the need for coverage of all three German biogeographical regions before nationwide management, and the requirement for a reference population.
As a parliamentary question for written answer, the Commission is expected to respond within approximately six weeks. The reply will signal the EU executive's interpretation of the Habitats Directive's provisions on favourable conservation status and its implications for wolf population control, directly affecting farmers, conservation authorities, and regional governments in Germany.