Slovakia and Romania Lead Push to Reduce EU Protections for Brown Bears

A group of European Union member states has formally called on Brussels to lower the protected status of brown bears and ease hunting restrictions, citing a sharp rise in bear populations and increasing attacks on people and livestock. The appeal was made in a joint letter initiated by Slovakia and Romania and backed by the Czech Republic, Finland, and Croatia. The signatories argue that growing bear numbers have led to a surge in dangerous encounters with humans and damage to farm animals, making the current level of legal protection unsustainable. Brown bears are currently listed under the EU's Habitats Directive, which grants them strict protection and severely limits culling or hunting. Calls to revise these rules have grown louder in recent years across Central and Eastern Europe, where bear populations have expanded significantly. The letter represents a coordinated diplomatic push to persuade the European Commission, the EU's executive body, to amend the rules governing bear management across the bloc.