Overview
- The bill cleared the Senate on June 23 and was sent to the Chamber of Deputies where it is now scheduled for swift examination by the Agriculture Committee.
- The draft would increase the number of huntable species, allow regions to extend hunting seasons and enlarge areas open to hunting while replacing the 1992 law’s focus on wildlife “protection” with a “management” approach.
- The European Commission says it is following the file closely and remains in contact with Italian authorities, and the Quirinale’s legal offices are preparing a review of the draft’s compatibility with EU nature rules.
- Fifty-seven environmental groups including Greenpeace, Lipu and WWF have asked Chamber president Lorenzo Fontana to involve the Environment Committee, and opposition parties have demanded hearings to block accelerated procedures.
- If the text is judged to breach the EU Birds or Habitats Directives it could trigger formal EU action; the immediate drama to watch is the committee timetable, procedural votes over committee assignment and the presidential legal assessment that could delay or reshape the measure.