Appeal from 20 Environmental Organizations to the Greek Government to Support the Protection of Wolves in Europe
Joint Press Release
Twenty environmental organizations are calling on the Greek government to reject the proposal for downgrading the protection status of wolves, which will be discussed soon at the Council of EU Environment Ministers. They request the government to align with a scientifically grounded and ambitious approach to preserving species and ecosystems in the EU and Greece. In a letter to the Minister of Environment and Energy, Th. Skylakakis, also addressed to Prime Minister K. Mitsotakis, the organizations emphasize that any potential downgrade of legal protections for wolves is contrary to strong public support and scientific evidence favoring the species’ conservation in Europe. “The European Commission’s proposal risks setting a dangerous precedent for other species and could lead to further weakening of EU nature laws,” the letter states.
The organizations also urge the Ministry of Environment and Energy to schedule an immediate meeting between the Minister and the organizations’ representatives to provide an opportunity to present their views before the Council of Environment Ministers makes its decision.
“Wolf protection in Europe and Greece is not only an ecological issue but also a reflection of our commitment to biodiversity conservation and the values of coexistence and tolerance,” the environmental organizations note, stressing that wolves are an integral part of Europe’s natural heritage, playing a vital role in maintaining ecosystem balance and biodiversity. The return of wolves to parts of Greece and Europe where they had previously disappeared is a significant conservation success that should not be jeopardized.
As part of their efforts to maintain the wolf’s protection status, the environmental organizations, in addition to their letter to the Greek government, co-signed a similar letter from international environmental groups and called on the public to participate in the related online petition campaign on the Avaaz platform.
The Letter from the 20 Organizations:
“Dear Minister,
Following previous announcements from Greek and European organizations, on February 22, 2024, twenty (20) Greek environmental organizations called on you to reject the European Commission’s proposal to reduce the protection status of wolves under the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. We urged you to send a clear message that the EU takes its commitments to biodiversity protection and restoration seriously. The points made in our letter, attached here, remain fully valid, and we do not need to repeat them.
Following communications with officials from relevant departments at the Ministry of Environment and Energy, shortly after sending that letter, we were informed that official recommendations were generally in line with the position of the environmental organizations. We were given the impression that Greece would reject the EU’s proposal to reduce the wolf’s protection status at the Council of Environment Ministers, thus helping to safeguard the current status, as enshrined in the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).
Unfortunately, we have recently learned that Greece intends, after all, to vote in favor of reducing the wolf’s protection status in Europe!
However, the legal downgrade of wolf protection goes against strong public support and scientific evidence in favor of conserving the wolf in Europe. Furthermore, the European Commission’s proposal risks setting a dangerous precedent for other species and could open the door to further changes in EU nature laws. Such a move would create legal uncertainty and signal a rollback in long-standing conservation efforts across the continent. This would seriously damage the EU’s reputation as a global leader in environmental protection.
We urge you not to support the European Commission’s proposal to downgrade the wolf’s protection status in the Bern Convention. We ask you to endorse an ambitious, scientifically grounded approach to species and ecosystem conservation in the EU and our country, regardless of political pressures.
We also request a meeting with you to present our views on this critical issue, especially given that the EU Council of Environment Ministers will soon be deciding on the European Commission’s proposal.
The undersigned Environmental Organizations:
ANIMA
ARION
ARCTUROS
ARCHELON
Action for Wildlife
Hellenic Ornithological Society
Hellenic Society for the Environment and Culture
Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature
Friends of Nature Network
Thrace Biodiversity Protection Society
Prespa Protection Society
CALLISTO, Environmental Organization for Wildlife and Nature
Ecological Recycling Society
i-Sea
Greenpeace
MEDASSET
MedINA
Mom
The Green Tank
WWF Greece”