On 10 September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her State of the Union address to the European Parliament, describing this as Europe’s “Independence Moment.” She stated that the continent is “in a fight” — for peace, democracy, and the right to determine its own future.

While the speech focused largely on war, trade, defence, jobs, and migration, environmental policy received little attention. Von der Leyen’s references centred mainly on climate and industrial competitiveness, leaving biodiversity and nature conservation notably absent — a clear signal of current EU priorities with respect to new initiatives.

Agriculture was briefly emphasised through a forthcoming “Buy European Food” campaign and support for farmers’ role in the food chain. While the context will be challenging for Europe in the coming years, there remains significant work to be done for Europe’s small game populations, which depend on healthy habitats and effective biodiversity policies.

Leaving aside the lack of new initiatives, key issues for hunters in the coming political term will include the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), new initiatives on animal welfare, ongoing developments affecting large carnivores, as well as the restriction of lead in ammunition, potential updates to EU firearms laws, and invasive alien species (IAS) listings. These files will shape how hunting and wildlife management are carried out across Europe in the years ahead.

At the national level, significant work will be required to ensure that national restoration plans — being developed under the EU Nature Restoration Law — are well-designed for small game habitats and compatible with sustainable hunting. It will also be vital that any EU-level laws adopted in Brussels are workable and proportionate to their objectives. This includes new EU work on bird hunting and developments in large carnivore policy. For this reason, maintaining a strong presencethroughout this political term is essential.

While President von der Leyen’s focus appears to be on implementing and reforming existing initiatives rather than launching new ones, this political term will still demand close attention and coordinated advocacy from Europe’s hunting community.