President Nicușor Dan signs controversial bear-attack mitigation law after constitutional challenge
President Nicușor Dan promulgated a law that expands rapid response measures against brown bear attacks, overturning his earlier constitutional objection.
On 5 October, President Nicușor Dan signed a law that revises the 2021 emergency ordinance on brown bear attacks, aiming to improve rapid intervention and prevention. Earlier in the year, he had challenged the bill at the Constitutional Court, arguing it might conflict with habitat directives; the court rejected his objection in June. The Senate later voted overwhelmingly in favor, with only a handful of dissenting votes and several abstentions.
The enacted measure increases the quota of bears authorized for culling, roughly doubling the previous figures for both preventive and emergency purposes, while prohibiting hunting in protected zones. According to the Ministry of the Environment, Romania hosts a large bear population, underscoring the policy's relevance. The law seeks to reduce property damage and human casualties from increasingly frequent bear encounters.
Why it matters
The law changes how Romania manages bear attacks, affecting public safety and wildlife policy.
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