EU Hunting: Issued at the appeal of a small German landowner, it will come into force, if not appealed, on April 20 next,
A ruling by the European Court of Strasbourg could also have consequences in Italy. Two principles were affirmed following the appeal presented to the Court by a private German citizen, landowner in the Land of Rhineland-Palatinate of two estates of just under 75 hectares each.
For the European Court of Human Rights, hunting is primarily in the general interest, since it allows for the management of wild animal populations aimed at preserving the variety and good health of the different species, as well as avoiding damage that can be caused by wildlife to human activities.
Not only that: although it seems, as the Court has attested, that hunting is practiced mainly in free time, this does not authorize us to believe that the purpose of the law that regulates hunting is simply to allow a leisure activity or, precisely, of free time strictly understood.
The reverse of the coin for hunters: the applicant is nevertheless entitled to a part of the product generated by hunting proportional to the area of his property and can also request compensation if the hunting exercise causes damage to his land.
The sentence cannot yet be considered definitive - since articles 43 and 44 of the European Convention allow the parties to refer it back to the Grand Chamber of the Court, for further examination, within three months of its pronouncement (therefore by 20 April next) - however not there is no doubt that this is a very relevant precedent, especially for the established principles.
Source: The Tam Tam