Posted 1/15/2024, 10:58:00 AM
Rising Tensions Between Rural and Urban Interests Over Europe's Carnivore Conservation Rules
- Momentum growing across Europe to relax hunting rules for large carnivores like bears and wolves, angering environmentalists
- Political parties, especially on the right, see opportunity to score points with rural voters ahead of EU election by supporting more hunting
- European Commission also working to loosen EU-wide protections for wolves, which could help von der Leyen gain support for second term
- Hunters and farmers increasingly angry at top-down EU conservation policies, fertile ground for populist movements
- Anti-carnivore resentment making way into policy proposals like looser hunting rules in Romania, Italy, Sweden; concerns rules could snowball