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 23 OCTOBER 2025Pre-closure letter concerning a multiple complaint on an alleged breach of EU rules on the protection of wolves by Sweden - CPLT(2023)01635 [Date: 23 October 2025] Notice in English (can be automatically translated) Pre-closure letter concerning a multiple complaint on an alleged breach by Sweden of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora as regards wolf management – CPLT(2023)01635The European Commission has received a large number of complaints relating to Sweden’s wolf management. These complaints were registered under reference CPLT(2023)01635. The Commission acknowledged the receipt of the complaints by publishing a notice on 16 April 2024.1The complaints alleged that Sweden infringed Articles 12 and 16 of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (“the Habitats Directive”)2 by allowing excessive protective hunting and licensed hunting of wolves.Having examined the complaints, the Commission services do not intend to take further action on this, for the reasons set out below.The subject-matter of the complaints gave rise to infringement case number INFR(2010)4200 against Sweden. The Commission adopted a Letter of Formal Notice and a Reasoned Opinion on that case in 2011 as well as an additional Reasoned Opinion in 2015.3 That case was based on the requirements stemming from Articles 12 and 16 of the Habitats Directive and the listing of the Swedish wolf population as “strictly protected” under Annex IV of that Directive.On 17 June 2025, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Directive (EU) 2025/1237 amending Council Directive 92/43/EEC as regards the protection status of the wolf.4 The 2025 Directive entered into force on 14 July 2025. It moved the wolf from Annex IV to Annex V of the Habitats Directive. As a consequence, EU law now allows management measures regarding wolves, on certain conditions, in accordance with Article 14 of the Habitats Directive and the case law of the CJEU. Considering the legislative amendment to Annex IV, to which Article 12 of the Habitats Directive refers, neither the infringement case nor the complaints have a legal basis anymore and they can no longer be pursued.The Commission services therefore intend to close the investigation of this multiple complaint.Should you have new information related to the subject of this multiple complaint, I invite you to write to ENV-E2-SE-WOLFec [dot] europa [dot] eu (ENV-E2-SE-WOLF[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) within four weeks from the date of this letter.Closing infringement case number INFR(2010)4200 and the investigation of the associated multiple complaint does not affect and does not prejudge the Commission’s assessment of Sweden’s wolf management under the new legal framework as modified by Directive (EU) 2025/1237.Any information on this case received from complainants after the expiry of the above deadline and after they were informed of its closure, and which does not change the Commission’s decision to close your case, will not be answered. 1 See https://commission.europa.eu/about/contact/problems-and-complaints/complaints-about-breaches-eu-law- member-states/multiple-complaints_en2 OJ L 206, 22.7.1992, pp. 7-50.3 See https://ec.europa.eu/implementing-eu-law/search-infringement-decisions/?langCode=EN4 OJ L, 2025/1237, 24.6.2025.
