Romania leads push to reduce EU brown bear protections

Eastern European nations are advocating for a reduction in the legal protection status of brown bears, seeking to align their conservation level with that of wolves. Romania and Slovakia, which together host more than half of Europe’s brown bear population, are leading the push. In Romania, where the population is estimated between 10,419 and 12,770, officials report increasing human-wildlife conflicts and fatal attacks.

Romania has proposed legislation to double the annual hunting quota to nearly 2,000 bears. While President Nicușor Dan challenged the law's constitutionality and its compliance with EU nature directives, the Romanian Constitutional Court ruled the measure lawful. The proposal is supported by the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, a party with strongholds in bear-populated regions.

At an EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting, Romania’s proposal was supported by Croatia, Czechia, and Finland. Environmentalists argue that downgrading protections serves hunters rather than addressing the root causes of conflict. Biologists have also called for greater transparency regarding the official population figures used to justify such large-scale culling measures.