Ombudsman opens inquiry after EU trashes wolf protections

Client Earth -

Ombudsman opens inquiry after EU trashes wolf protections

EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly has opened an investigation into the European Commission’s downgrading of the wolf’s protection status.

This comes as the 50 Parties to the Bern Convention prepare to convene in December to set this proposal in stone.

The news follows a request lodged by environmental law non-profit ClientEarth in February, which raised a number of issues with how the Commission had reached its decision – including a lack of scientific grounding, a problematic consultation process, no access to documents, and doubts over the motivations of the downgrade.

ClientEarth lawyer Ilze Tralmaka said: “From start to finish, this proposal and the procedure surrounding it has been problematic – there are clear democratic issues with how it went ahead and we are pleased to see the Ombudsman engage with our complaint.

“It’s also a bizarre decision: it sends the message that when ambitious nature policies and laws actually succeed, the Commission will scrap them at the first sign of pushback.”

The Ombudsman, in her initial questions to the Commission, asks for information on:

“why the Commission departed from the Better Regulation Guidelines on stakeholder consultation when it carried out this targeted data collection?”

and

“on what scientific evidence it based its statement on the danger posed by the wolf population […]?”

ClientEarth wildlife and habitats expert Marta Klimkiewicz said: “Wolves are not an inconvenience to ecosystems – they are fundamental to them working as they must. Nature urgently needs intelligent lawmaking – and protected must mean protected.”

ClientEarth says there has been a notable uptick in possible instances of EU maladministration that then require follow-up by oversight bodies. Since September, following flags by ClientEarth and others, the Ombudsman has also opened or concluded investigations into:

  • The ‘emergency’ scrapping of environmental provisions in the CAP
  • The EU’s illegal delays to bans on harmful chemicalsTralmaka said: “Nature is the cornerstone of the climate fight, the fight for human rights, and ultimately, the fight for our survival. Downgrading its protection at this moment in time is the ultimate act of irresponsibility.”
  • The EU’s Working Party on International Environmental Issues (WPEI) is meeting on Monday in the wake of COP16, and is set to discuss wolf protection.