2019-2024

Committee on Petitions

PETI_PV(2021)310_1

MINUTES

Meeting of 24 February 2021, 9.00 – 12.00, 13.45 – 15.45 and 16.45 – 18.45 and 25 February 2021, 13.45 – 15.45

BRUSSELS

by remote connection (via Room Paul-Henri Spaak 1A2)

The meeting opened at 9.09 on Wednesday, 24 February 2021, with Dolors Montserrat (Chair) presiding.

Wednesday 24 February 2021, 9.00 - 12.00

at 9.00

1. Adoption of draft agenda1

The agenda was adopted in the form shown in the minutes.

2. Approval of minutes of the meeting of:  26 January 2021

The minutes were approved.

1. In accordance with the committee’s Guidelines 2016, items in sections B of the draft agenda will not be discussed during the current meeting. However any PETI Member may ask before the end of the meeting for an item in section B to be kept open; it will then be automatically included in the Coordinators’ agenda for a decision on its further treatment at a subsequent Coordinators’meeting.

PV\1225537EN.docx PE689.576v01-00

EN United in diversity EN 3. Chair's announcements

The Chair wished farewell and good luck to two departing members of the PETI secretariat.

In the presence of the European Commission A. Petitions for discussion in committee on the basis of the Commission's written reply or other documents received

Great carnivores

4. Petition No 1188/2019 by Csaba Borboly (Romanian), bearing 4 signatures, on the management of the brown bears in Romania (in the presence of the petitioners by remote connection)

Petition 1214/2019 by F. I. (Romanian) on the protection of the brown bear in Romania

Petition 0685/2020 by Gabriela Fletan (Romanian) on the management of the wild bear population in the Jiu Valley, Romania

Speakers: Csaba Borboly (petitioner petition 1188/2019), Lehel Hadnagy (local game representative, petition 1188/2019), Andreas Bartal (EC-ENV), Loránt Vincze, Alex Agius Saliba, Vlad Gheorghe, Tatjana Ždanoka, Ádám Kósa.

Decision: Keep the petition open; ask the European Commission to study the possibility of increasing the financing of specific measures to protect persons and livestock in certain regions as well as to monitor the implementation of the large carnivore strategy by the Romanian authorities.

5. Petition 1055/2019 by Johannes Schmuckenschlager (Austrian), on behalf of the Land Chamber of Agriculture of Lower Austria, signed by 58 473 other individuals, on revising Article 16 of Directive 92/43 with regard to wolf populations (in the presence of the petitioner by remote connection)

Petition No 0827/2020 by Eduard Köck (Austrian), bearing 5 signatures, on the regulation of the wolf population in the (in the presence of the petitioner by remote connection)

Petition No 0074/2020 by Josef Hechenberger (Austrian), on behalf of the Tyrol Chamber of Agriculture, on the protected status of the wolf (in the presence of the petitioner by remote connection)

Speakers: Johannes Schmuckenschlager (petitioner, petition 1055/2019), Eduard Köck (petitioner, petition 0827/2020), Josef Hechenberger (petitioner, petition 0074/2020), Frank Vassen (EC-ENV).

PE689.576v01-00 2/14 PV\1225537EN.docx EN Decision: Keep the petitions open; ask the European Commission to monitor and come up with solutions to find a balance between animal protection and alpine farmers.

6. Petition 0152/2017 by Marco Giovannelli (Italian) on behalf of Save our Wolves International, bearing 170.000 signatures, on the protection of the Italian wolf (in the presence of the petitioner by remote connection)

Speakers: Stefania Falcon (representative of the petitioner), Marco Cipriani (EC-ENV).

Decision: Keep the petition open; send a reminder to the new Italian Minister on Environment.

7. Petition 0057/2017 by Sari Kantinkoski (Finnish) on behalf o