Roughly translated by TWIN Observer
NATURE / TT Environmental Protection Agency says yes to the licensed hunting of 46 wolves that five county boards decided on. But according to a recent judgment of the Supreme Administrative Court, the decision can now be appealed.
Decisions on winter hunting license in Värmland, Örebro, Västmanland, Dalarna and Gävleborg was appealed. Environmental Protection Agency, however, in its review found that these decisions follow the rules and criteria that are licensed hunting.
But the Association Nordulv has legally pursued the strengthening the right to appeal against the hunting of wolves decision, and the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) decided in January to examine the formal question of that. Now Nordulv got that right in the HFD. “It is contrary to EU law to prohibit a decision about wolf hunting appealed to the court,” the Supreme Administrative Court.
Immediate consequences
The guiding judgment has immediate consequences.
“The decision that the Environmental Protection Agency has taken about every county can now be appealed to the respective administrative law court,” says Anneli Nivrén, press officer at the Environmental Protection Agency. There are many indications that environmental organizations will now appeal in the first level of the administrative courts.
“We are of course very relieved this decision and it is that we must clarify that we as environmental organization has the right to appeal against this kind of decision in court,” says Johanna Sandahl, Chairman of the Society for Nature Conservation, said.
“Cornerstone of democracy”
Board decisions have until today not been appealed. The right disappeared when the previous, conservative government regionalized predator policy and put decisions entirely with the provincial governments and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Johanna Sandahl also believes it is fundamentally important to be able to appeal an agency’s decision.
“We think it is a cornerstone of democracy to be able to check whether an authority’s decision is correct or not. “The two separate decisions on wolf hunting, from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Supreme Administrative Court, announced in the space of a few hours a day.
Related
FACT: 20 WOLVES IN VARMLAND
The decisions on the licensed hunting of wolves in the beginning of next year comes to a total maximum of 46 animals, including 20 in Varmland, 8 in Dalarna and 6 each in Örebro, Västmanland and Gävleborg.