Brussels confirms: Borboly Csaba becomes official member of the European Alliance for Mountains – what does this mean for Harghita County?

Brussels confirms: Borboly Csaba becomes official member of the European Alliance for Mountains – what does this mean for Harghita County?

Borboly Csaba, Vice President of the Harghita County Council and member of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), received official confirmation in early April 2026 from the Euromontana organization: his name will be included on the public supporters’ list of the European Alliance for Mountains, and the Alliance will soon provide feedback on joint activities and objectives.

This is not a symbolic gesture – it is a concrete milestone of nearly a decade of consistent work at the European level.

How did we get here?

The process began in 2017, when Borboly Csaba, as rapporteur in the ENVE Commission of the Committee of the Regions, drafted the first European-level policy document on coexistence with large carnivores. The work has continued ever since: in 2021, with a working document on the socially fair implementation of the Green Deal, and in 2024, through amendments to the CoR opinion on biodiversity and large carnivores.

On May 14, 2025, the European Alliance for Mountains was launched in the European Parliament in Brussels. At the first debate, Borboly Csaba joined and spoke on behalf of Harghita County. The Manifesto – signed by Herbert Dorfmann (MEP, South Tyrol), Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis (CoR, Corsica), and the President of Euromontana – states that mountain areas, which represent 30% of EU territory, 43% of Natura 2000 areas, and 18% of farms, must receive dedicated financial and political attention.

On March 4, 2026, at the second Alliance meeting, concrete legislative amendment proposals for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) were already on the table, including specific article references. Rapporteurs from the European Parliament’s REGI and AGRI committees also participated. Borboly Csaba signed and supported the Alliance’s joint position.

What has Borboly Csaba achieved?

In the field of the large carnivore platform:

The Regional Large Carnivore Platform of Harghita County operates under a European Commission procurement contract. At its fifth meeting, four concrete projects received funding from the €20,000 budget: evaluation of electric fencing systems, monitoring of motorized activities, a field experiment, and a synthesis study. The Action Plan highlights the need for a dedicated structural funding mechanism in the 2028–2034 MFF.

In the field of mountain financing:

The Alliance’s position proposes mandatory minimum thresholds: at least 30% of NRPP expenditures for rural areas; at least 15% of CAP spending for structural compensation in ANC areas; and the inclusion of a mountain territorial code in the EU’s performance framework.

What does this mean for the people of Harghita County?

Simply put: those who decide on EU funds for training, employment, and development will have representatives at the table who insist that mountain communities must also benefit.

If the LIFE programme remains a standalone instrument and a new structural funding mechanism is created for large carnivores, the costs of electric fencing and protection systems will no longer fall solely on farmers, but will be co-financed by the EU.

If ANC payments are strengthened, farmers in the Ciuc area will receive fair compensation for the disadvantages of mountain farming.

What is the next step?

Borboly Csaba continues his work within the Alliance. The Harghita County Council and the Rural Development Association will position local platform projects as preparatory studies for NRPP funding. Through RMDSZ’s participation in government, Romania will propose the introduction of a mountain territorial code in NRPP negotiations.

Objective for 2028: farmers, forest owners, and communities in Harghita County should be able to access the EU funds they are entitled to – not only in theory, but in practice.