Page contents Page contents Notices published after 1 March 2025 are published in the main language spoken by complainants and English. To translate a notice into other EU languages, you can use the European Commission's eTranslation service, a machine translation tool. The notice published on this page in the complainants' main language takes priority over the machine translation provided from English into that language.You can access the eTranslation service by clicking on the language symbol at the top of this page and selecting your preferred language. Notice in the language of complainants 3 JUNE 2026Vastaanottoilmoitus usean tahon esittämästä kantelusta, joka koskee Suomen tasavallan väitettyä luontodirektiivin (92/43/ETY) rikkomista - CPLT(2026)00487 [Date: 3 June 2026] Notice in English (can be automatically translated) Acknowledgement of receipt of a multiple complaint on an alleged breach of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) by the Republic of Finland Reference number: CPLT(2026)00487The European Commission has received a large number of complaints about the hunting of wolves, bears, lynxes and otters in Finland especially due to recent amendments to the Finnish Hunting Act (1292/2025). The complaints claim, inter alia, that hunting of wolves is not in line with Article 14 of the Habitats Directive. Furthermore, several complainants claim that amendments to the Hunting Act allow hunting quotas to be set by legislative decrees for strictly protected species under Annex IV of the Habitats Directive (i.e. bear, lynx and otter).The Commission has entered these complaints in the central registry of complaints under a single reference number, CPLT(2026)00487. Given the significant number of complaints received on this subject, the Commission, with a view to responding swiftly and informing those concerned as well as taking into account potentially wider public interest in the issue raised by the complainants, is publishing this acknowledgement of receipt on the dedicated page of the Europa website. The complainants will be informed, through the same channel, of the results of the Commission's examination of these complaints and of the follow-up that the Commission may decide to take. The Commission will consider the complaints in the light of the applicable European Union law and in line with the enforcement priorities set in the Commission communications entitled ‘EU law: Better Results through Better Application’[1] ‘Enforcing EU law for a Europe that delivers’[2], and ‘A Simpler, Clearer and Better Enforced EU Rulebook’[3]. Please note that, if the Commission decides to act following your complaint, including by launching a formal infringement procedure, its general aim is to ensure that Member State laws are compliant with EU law and correctly applied. The submission of a complaint to the Commission may thus not resolve your specific and individual situation. In order to obtain redress, including compensation if warranted, you should take action at national level in the Member State concerned. Submitting a complaint to the Commission does not suspend the time limits for starting legal action under national law. The Commission may also, in the exercise of its discretion, decide not to open formal infringement procedures, even if it considers that a breach of EU law has occurred.The Commission services will by default treat your complaint in a confidential manner. Only in the event that a complainant opts for non-confidential treatment in the complaint form may the Commission departments disclose the identity and any of the information submitted by that complainant to the authorities of the Member State against which the complaint has been made. The disclosure of a complainant’s identity by the Commission departments may in some cases be indispensable to the handling of the complaint.A specific privacy policy statement applies in relation to the handling of complaints.[1] C/2016/8600.[2] COM(2022)518 final.[3] COM(2026)380 final.
