{"id":10721,"date":"2026-06-19T14:00:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=10721"},"modified":"2026-06-19T14:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T14:00:29","slug":"romania-slovakia-request-lower-protections-for-brown-bear-populations-at-european-commission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=10721","title":{"rendered":"Romania, Slovakia request lower protections for brown bear populations at European Commission"},"content":{"rendered":"

Romania and Slovakia have submitted a common position requesting the European Commission to initiate a process for evaluating increased flexibility in the strict protection regime applicable to brown bear populations that have reached and maintain a favorable conservation status over the long term, according to the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Effectively, the two countries asked the EC to greenlight the hunting of bears.<\/p>\n

In their argumentation, Romania and Slovakia pointed out that, although together they hold more than half of the European Union\u2019s brown bear population, they disproportionately bear the costs, risks, and responsibilities associated with the conservation of this species.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe data presented by the two states highlight the constant growth of bear populations, as well as the significant impact on public safety, agricultural activities, and local communities,\u201d said the institution in a press release.<\/p>\n

Specifically, Romania and Slovakia requested clarification of the application of the provisions of the Habitats Directive for large carnivore populations that are in a favorable conservation status. They also requested recognition of scientific population density control as a legitimate management tool and the analysis of the possibility of a more flexible management regime, similar to the one adopted at the European level for wolves.<\/p>\n

The subject will be discussed during the next meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH), at the initiative of the two member states.<\/p>\n

\u201cBiodiversity conservation and the protection of people must go hand in hand. Romania has demonstrated that it can ensure the maintenance of a viable brown bear population, but conservation success cannot be measured only by the number of specimens. When local communities, farmers, and citizens face increasingly higher costs and risks, management tools adapted to the realities on the ground are needed,\u201d said interim agriculture minister Tanczos Barna.<\/p>\n

Last week, the minister, a former environment minister and longtime advocate for the hunting of bears, announced last week that he had initiated a process to remove the brown bear from the list of protected species. Barna motivated the initiative by pointing to the growing number of brown bears in Romania and the dangers they pose. He also reminded that legislation he authored<\/a> increasing bear hunting quotas for 2026 to roughly 900 is currently blocked for review at the Constitutional Court. \u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2024, Romania doubled the hunting quota for the brown bear<\/a> to almost 500 following the deadly attack on a hiker in the Carpathians. In March 2026, the Parliament again doubled the hunting quotas to around 900 bears, at the initiative of Barna\u2019s party, the minority-Hungarian party UDMR. President Nicu\u0219or Dan referred the draft law to the Constitutional Court,<\/a> stopping the adoption of the legislation for a time.<\/p>\n

As a large carnivore, the brown bear is protected at the EU level by the Habitats Directive, which requires member states to establish a system of strict protection, prohibiting the deliberate killing, capture, or disturbance of species in the wild. The Directive allows for derogations, but only as a last resort.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Romania is home to a large population of bears. According to preliminary results<\/a> from an April 2025 study by the Ministry of Environment, the country\u2019s brown bear population is estimated at between 10,419 and 12,770 animals, although the figure has been contested by environmental NGOs.<\/p>\n

radu@romania-insider.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

(Photo source:\u00a0T\u00e1nczos Barna on Facebook)<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Romania and Slovakia have submitted a common position requesting the European Commission to initiate a process for evaluating increased flexibility in the strict protection regime applicable to brown bear populations that have reached and maintain a favorable conservation status over the long term, according to the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture.\u00a0 Effectively, the two countries asked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10721"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10721\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}