The European Court of Justice Thursday handed Finland a partial victory in its battle with the European Commission over the hunting of wolves.
The European Union's top court ruled that the commission had not proved that Finland was issuing licences to hunt the country's estimated 250 wolves to a degree that threatened the survival of the species.
Finland says the number of the animals has doubled in recent years.
The court found there were two Finnish decisions that did not respect EU rules governing the preservation of flora and fauna (the Habitat directive) but that was not the result of a "constant and general administrative practice amounting to a breach."
But it did agree with the commission that Finland had issued licences "preventively" and not in line with EU rules that say they should be issued on a case by case basis where there is a proof of damage or specific danger requiring the killing of the animal.
"The European Court of Justice ratifies the main lines of the wolf population management plan," the Finnish agriculture ministry said.
"When planning future wolf policy in Finland, the ministry will take note of the court of justices decision on the wolf and the grounds for it".
But it said the ministry considered that wolf hunting permits could be granted in the future for the prevention of very significant loss or damage.
However, a precondition was that the monitoring carried out this year showed that loss and damage could actually be prevented by hunting".
Helsinki and Brussels have been at odds on several occasions over the issue of wolf-hunting permits, with the Finns insisting that strict rules are observed.
But they will no longer be able to issue licences on a preventive basis.
