Following the controversial killing of radio-collared Italian wolf Mirko, the case has officially reached the European Commission. The association Io non ho paura del lupo APS, together with its Austrian partners ANCA – Austrian Nature Conservation Alliance, has filed a formal complaint with the European Commission, requesting a review of whether wolf management practices in Austria, and specifically in the states of Tyrol and Carinthia, comply with the Habitats Directive.
The complaint comes following the official response sent on 14th July by the Directorate-General for the Environment of the European Commission, which, although not entering into the merits of the individual case, confirms that Brussels is already examining various aspects of Austrian wolf management.
In particular, the Commission recalls The following are being examined in depth: compliance with Article 14 of the Habitats Directive, also in light of the high number of wolves killed in Tyrol and Carinthia, the correct application of the derogations provided for in Article 16, the use of the precautionary principle, the exchange of scientific data on radio-collared wolves, and the difficulties in accessing judicial protection in Austria.
"We have decided to follow the Commission's recommendation," the Association explains. "Our complaint concerns not only Mirko, but an administrative practice that, based on the documentation collected, appears to be systematically repeated in Austria."
In recent months, the associations have acquired numerous administrative documents from the Austrian authorities through requests for access to environmental information. According to the appellants, these documents would highlight recurring critical issues: insufficiently substantiated individual assessments of wolves, failure to demonstrate the absence of non-lethal alternatives, lack of transparency in assessing the cumulative effects of culling, and unclear use of GPS data collected as part of international scientific projects. Mirko and Andrea, the two radio-collared Italian wolves killed in Tyrol and Carinthia, respectively, are therefore cited in the complaint not as isolated incidents, but as concrete examples of a larger problem.
Meanwhile, while the European Commission is examining these aspects further, Tyrol has continued to authorise new derogations. 9 July 2026 the Land Government has in fact issued the thirteenth derogation ordinance of 2026, authorising the culling of a further wolf in several districts of East Tyrol, valid until 2 September 2026.
“The problem is not the single measure,” continues I'm Not Afraid of the Wolf. “What we are asking the Commission to do is verify whether there is an administrative practice compatible with European law or if derogations are authorized without fully complying with the strict conditions set out in the Habitats Directive. This is a question of respect for the rule of law and the common rules of the Union.”
“The objective”, concludes the Association, “is not to contest every single demolition, but to shed light on a management system that could have much broader implications, both for the conservation of the Alpine wolf population and for international scientific cooperation.”
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