Högre seminarium i miljörätt: Comparative study of species protection in the EU: the wolf (Canis lupus) as an illustrative case study

Mar Ouro-Ortmark is presenting her paper:

Comparative study of species protection in the EU: the wolf (Canis lupus) as an illustrative case study

This article assesses the tensions between the legal-epistemic framework created by the Habitats Directive and its national implementation. I argue that the Directive does not establish a mere list of obligations and prohibitions, but rather builds a framework that tells States what purpose they need to achieve and sets parameters for how States will accomplish this objective. I refer to this hierarchy, clarified in article 2, as the epistemological framework of the Habitats Directive. To explicate this framework, I focus on the illustrative case study of the 2023 Swedish wolf hunt, Sweden’s largest in 100 years. The Swedish case is particularly interesting because an infringement proceeding has been ongoing for over twelve years. The controversial nature of this most recent hunt appears likely to trigger further action by the Commission that ultimately leads to a ruling of the Court of Justice. This paper analyzes Swedish implementation of the Habitats Directive with regards to the hunting of large carnivores, against the backdrop of the relevant jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union, and it contributes legal-epistemic analysis to understand the reasons for diverging material results of the same Directive in different Member States. 

A text will be distributed prior to the seminar. R.S.V.P to Melina Malafry at melina.malafry@jur.uu.se.

Welcome!