European Parliamentary Leaders Welcome SCI CEO Laird Hamberlin

In late September 2025, SCI CEO W. Laird Hamberlin traveled to Brussels, Belgium, to attend the FACE General Assembly and meet with legislators of the European Union regarding issues important to SCI and hunters worldwide.

It was also an opportunity to take the EU’s pulse on issues that European legislators are dealing with, including the European Parliament resolution for the upcoming CITES Conference of the Parties, trophy import bans, issues with the transportation of wildlife, the EU Habitats Directive, lead ammunition regulations and other initiatives that could affect hunting and sustainable-use conservation.

A delegation of SCI representatives, led by International Director Carsten Ottesen and Slovakian Chapter President Dr. Zsolt Puha, accompanied Hamberlin to numerous meetings organized by SCI’s Europe Liaison Juan Magaz.

The trip was also an opportunity to reinforce the cooperation between SCI and FACE (European Federation for Hunting and Conservation), a partner organization representing millions of hunters throughout Europe.

Hamberlin also met members of the European Parliament from center-right parties who play a key role in defending hunting in Europe. Notably, the European People’s Party (EPP) is the largest and most influential political group in the European Parliament and plays a central role in forming majorities and shaping the EU’s political direction.

Among the leaders who met with Hamberlin was Juan Ignacio Zoido of the EPP Group, President of the Intergroup for Biodiversity, Hunting and Countryside. MEP Zoido requested that SCI commit to sharing more scientific evidence with the European legislators.

Pietro Fiocchi of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group invited the SCI delegation to a meeting on the ban of lead ammunition in Europe. Also, Herman Tertsch of the Patriots Group welcomed SCI with numerous colleagues and staffers and debriefed the group on the importance of following European legislation as it impacts U.S. legislation.

On a more multilateral level, the delegation was received by H.E. the Ambassador of Mozambique, Berta Celestino Cossa, and H.E. the Ambassador of Botswana, Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba. Both are committed to supporting the mission and purposes of SCI. They pointed out the necessity to engage with local communities to bolster public education on hunting for future generations.

Despite a packed itinerary, Hamberlin and the delegation also managed to meet with SCI’s BENELUX Chapter representatives Simon Devos and Bernard Mylders, who debriefed them on the Chapter’s incredible growth, the number of current activities and the projects they have planned for the future.

“Every time I come to Brussels, I am impressed by the number of opportunities to meet and collaborate with like-minded ambassadors, organizations like FACE, local stakeholders, chapter members and legislators, all in one place, and who are influencing crucial decisions affecting not only hunters in Europe but in North America and throughout the world,” said Hamberlin. “Common sense is coming back to Europe. I could see that the conservation paradigm there is shifting after decades of misinformation driven by anti-hunters. I’m proud that SCI is part of that shift with a network expanding all over the European Continent. We have a presence in 17 countries there now and are busy growing beyond that.”

International Director Mr. Carsten Ottesen from Denmark expanded on SCI’s influence on perspectives in Europe. “It was so satisfying to see that our project ‘Kids in Nature’ is already impacting the conscience of legislators and public representatives who are now calling us for help educating future generations on the benefits of nature. SCI Europe and our chapters will remain proactive, working with schools to get children from the earliest ages out of classrooms to learn firsthand about their environments and how to make them better.”

Slovak Chapter President Dr. Zsolt Puha pointed out, “In Europe, we depend too much on the decision of a few. Our presence is important to counterbalance the anti-hunters and to show in our countries that SCI has a voice at home and internationally. I hope that there will be a change soon, and we will have more control over where our tax money goes and how it is spent. I am tired of seeing that our opponents are well-financed and useless projects are implemented.”

By Juan Magaz
Europe Liaison