Environment Ministry Ordered to Pay Court Costs for Refusing Information on Bear Culling

Slovakia's Environment Ministry has been ordered to pay court costs after refusing to provide information about bear culling operations. The ruling came after the environmental initiative My sme les (We Are Forest) requested the data under Slovakia's freedom of information laws. The case highlights tensions between government transparency and environmental policy, as Slovakia grapples with managing its brown bear population amid increasing human-wildlife conflicts. The Environment Ministry, which oversees wildlife management and conservation policies, had declined to release the requested information about bear shooting permits and operations.