The EU Moves to Loosen Protections for Wolves as Their Population Grows

BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Union is moving toward backing plans to remove some of its protections for wolves on the continent as their population grows, in the latest political clash between farmers and environmentalists.

Ambassadors of the 27 EU nations reached a qualified majority Wednesday to seek to loosen protection rules now enshrined in the European Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.

A ruling is expected in December, though EU ministers must officially vote on the bloc's position in the coming weeks.

Farmers in many members have been increasingly angered by attacks on their livestock by wolfpacks as the animals have taken hold in woods and fields close to agricultural lands.

The issue was brought to the EU's doorstep two years ago when a wolf killed a pony belonging to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

On Wednesday, the Commission welcomed the tentative vote and said that "adapting the protection status will be an important step to address the challenges posed by increasing wolf populations while keeping the overall objective to achieve and maintain a favorable conservation status for the species."

Experts and environmental groups estimate that up to 19,000 wolves may be present in the 27 EU member countries, with large populations thought to roam in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania and Spain.

Wolves remain a "strictly protected" species in most of Europe, but their numbers are estimated to have grown by 25% over the last decade.

Under the plans the EU backs, wolves would be downgraded from "strictly protected" to "protected," allowing for more measures to keep them at bay from farmers and the population.

Last month Dutch authorities urgently warned parents not to take young children to a popular forest area near the city of Utrecht following two recent close encounters with a wolf displaying "atypical and worrying" behavior.

Growing numbers of the EU's environmental rules and regulations have come under pressure over the past two years, with populist and extreme-right parties criticizing the measures as being thought up by urban elites with little knowledge of rural life.

Wednesday's vote left the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European parliament with a scent of victory. "For years, conservatives in the European Parliament have been calling for a more flexible approach to the growing wolf population, which has become a pest in some regions," the ECR said in a statement.

"The damage caused by wolves to livestock and pastoralism has become really unbearable," insisted one of its MEPs Pietro Fiocchi.

The main EU farm lobby Copa-Cogeca also welcomed the vote.

"We are glad to see the European Union institutions listening to the needs of farmers and rural dwellers despite the many pressures from those who often don't have to deal with the consequences of attacks. This decision will provide European livestock farmers with greater peace of mind," it said in a statement.

The Eurogroup for Animals NGO said in a statement that EU nations "are ignoring their citizens' calls and science. Facilitating culling sends a dramatic message on the future of conservation and coexistence."