Romanian President Nicușor Dan has signed legislation regulating the country’s brown bear population, clearing the way for preventive shooting quotas after months of constitutional and parliamentary review. The law allows 859 bears to be culled during 2026, while a further 110 protected large wild animals may be removed if they pose a direct threat to human life.
The measure is designed to address the increasing number of bears entering towns and villages, as well as a rise in reported encounters, property damage and attacks. However, local officials have warned that the legal delays may leave too little time to meet this year’s quota.
What the Romanian bear population law does
The legislation was initiated by the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania, known by its Romanian acronym RMDSZ. It was re-adopted by the Chamber of Deputies on 16 September after the president returned it for reconsideration.
Under the law:
- 859 brown bears can be subject to preventive culling during 2026.
- Up to 110 additional protected large wild animals may be hunted as an intervention measure when they threaten human life.
- The provisions will take effect after publication in Romania’s official gazette.
The measure distinguishes between preventive population management and emergency intervention. Supporters argue that removing individual bears that present an immediate danger is necessary, but does not replace longer-term measures intended to manage the wider population.
Why Romania is debating bear population control
Romania has the largest brown bear population in Europe, according to a previous population survey cited in the legislation debate. That study estimated the number of bears in the country at between 10,600 and 12,700 and also identified significant genetic diversity.
As bear numbers have increased or become more visible around human settlements, encounters have become a recurring public-safety issue. Bears have been reported in residential areas, villages and towns, where they may search for food or come into contact with people, livestock and property.
The government’s local representatives say the scale of damage and the frequency of emergency interventions have increased. In Covasna County, roughly 300 emergency calls involving bears entering built-up areas were recorded during the first eight months of the year. Officials also reported two bear attacks in the county during that period.
Concerns over the 2026 quota
Although the law has now been signed, completing this year’s quota may be difficult. Covasna County prefect Ráduly István said that 86 bears were included in the county’s allocation, but only 30 had been removed by the time of his warning.
He argued that the remaining time in 2026 was insufficient to reach the full target. The delay followed a legal dispute that included a constitutional challenge and a request for parliament to reconsider parts of the legislation.
How the law reached the presidency
President Nicușor Dan initially challenged the legislation before Romania’s Constitutional Court. The court rejected that challenge. Dan then sent the bill back to parliament in August, asking lawmakers to clarify and supplement provisions in the text.
The Chamber of Deputies subsequently approved the bill without amendments, retaining the form previously adopted by the Senate. The president has now signed it, but the measure is not fully operative until it is published in the official gazette.
The process illustrates the difference between presidential signature and practical implementation. Authorities must still apply the quotas under the relevant administrative and wildlife-management procedures, while local officials face a compressed timetable for this year’s intervention programme.
Supporters call for faster action
During parliamentary discussions, some lawmakers called for the measure to be implemented as quickly as possible. Senator Tánczos Barna, an acting deputy prime minister and one of the bill’s initiators, said the alliance had sought higher preventive quotas for 2026 and 2027.
Supporters point to the population survey and argue that more effective intervention is required to reduce pressure in areas where bears frequently enter settlements. They also stress that action against individual dangerous animals is separate from wider population-management policy.
The law is likely to remain contentious because it involves both public safety and the protection of a major European wildlife population. The practical question now is how authorities will apply the new rules while ensuring that interventions are based on documented risks and carried out under Romania’s wildlife regulations.
What happens next?
The immediate next step is publication in the official gazette, which will bring the law into force. Romanian authorities will then need to coordinate implementation with county-level officials and wildlife-management bodies.
The main issues to watch are:
- the date of publication and entry into force;
- how the 859-bear preventive quota is distributed and implemented;
- whether local authorities can complete their allocations before the end of 2026;
- how emergency interventions are authorised when a bear poses a threat to human life; and
- whether Romania introduces broader measures for habitat management, waste control and conflict prevention.
For residents in affected areas, the law may provide authorities with a clearer framework for responding to dangerous encounters. For conservation interests, attention will focus on monitoring, transparency and whether population control is supported by wider measures to reduce contact between people and bears.
Conclusion
Romania’s new bear population law has been signed but still awaits publication in the official gazette before taking effect. It sets a preventive quota of 859 brown bears for 2026 and provides for additional intervention where protected wildlife threatens human life. The central challenge now is implementation: officials must respond to genuine safety risks while managing Europe’s largest brown bear population through a legally defined and accountable process.
