Csaba Borboly in the European Committee of the Regions: it is time for Brussels to face reality
Today, Csaba Borboly, Vice-President of Harghita County Council and member of the European Committee of the Regions, spoke at the meeting of the ENVE Commission and later at the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions. The matter could not be postponed: in the first half of 2026, Romania has already recorded more fatal bear attacks than in the whole of last year. Csaba Borboly came to Assisi to say clearly: the EU nature protection legal framework must be reviewed, because in its current form it is costing human lives.
What we achieved today: the EU acknowledged that human life must take priority
At today’s vote, the ENVE Commission adopted two compromise amendments negotiated by Csaba Borboly as shadow rapporteur. These texts will now become part of the official position on the EU Environmental Implementation Review.
The EU now records in writing that human life and safety must be a primary consideration in the implementation of the Habitats Directive. The EU recognises that traditional extensive farming and grazing are not enemies of biodiversity, but its foundation in mountain areas. The EU acknowledges that when people abandon the land because of wildlife conflicts, that itself causes biodiversity loss. The EU also calls on the Commission to regularly publish data in future reviews on species management, conflicts and the use of derogations.
These results were achieved because the experience of Harghita County and Romania was present at the table. Because someone has been persistently representing this issue in Brussels for years.
What has not yet been decided: the directives themselves
Today’s decision is important, but not enough. The so-called stress test of the EU Birds and Habitats Directives is currently under way: the European Commission is examining whether these legal instruments are still fit for purpose and proportionate today. The consultation closes on 4 August.
These directives do not distinguish between a species that is almost extinct in one Member State and one that has multiplied to the point where it kills people. In Romania, the estimated brown bear population, according to scientific studies, is between 10,400 and 12,800 individuals, divided into three genetically distinct populations. This is the largest population in the entire European Union. This is not an endangered species. This is an overpopulated population that is claiming human lives.
Csaba Borboly has initiated that the Committee of the Regions hold a thematic debate on the stress test in September with invited experts, and then develop its own institutional position. These two EU directives have the greatest impact on local and regional authorities, yet decisions are still being made about them and without them.
The bear mafia and obstruction: what can no longer be ignored
There is a dimension that is rarely discussed openly in Brussels. In Romania, organised interest groups regularly obstruct the implementation of population management decisions. Through court proceedings, administrative appeals and political pressure, they make it impossible to carry out what the law allows and what safety requires. This is not nature protection. This is economic interest, and its victims are people.
Recently, the new mayor of Cașin also became the victim of a bear attack and almost paid with his life. Four people’s lives were at risk in a single incident. In such cases, the question is not whether the bear is protected. The question is: who protects the human being?
An EU-level decision is necessary precisely because, if we try to handle this issue only at national or regional level, organised obstruction will always find the legal loophole and the courtroom where intervention can be blocked. A clear, science-based and regionally differentiated EU framework would deprive these interest groups of the tool they are using today. This is why we are working to ensure that, through the September debate and the subsequent CoR position, Brussels also understands: this is not a local issue, it is a European issue.
The Member State level is also moving
It is an important signal that the issue is also expected to be on the agenda of next week’s Agri-Fish Council meeting. This shows that, at the level of Member State governments as well, there is growing demand to adapt the EU legal framework to reality. The coordinated work of the Committee of the Regions, the ministerial level of Member States and the political groups of the European Parliament can together create the political weight needed to bring about real regulatory change. This is why Csaba Borboly is reaching out to the political groups of the CoR, so that everyone understands what is at stake and what we can do together.
Why now and why Brussels?
Many people ask why this issue must be taken to Brussels. The answer is simple. Because Annex IV of the Habitats Directive does not currently allow for regional, flexible and rapid intervention. Because the derogation system is slow, cumbersome and vulnerable to legal challenges. Because as long as the EU legal framework does not change, every national attempt remains legally vulnerable.
Europe must not be left alone in this debate. The people who live, work, graze animals and raise children in the mountains of the Carpathians are European citizens just like everyone else. Their safety is also the responsibility of the European Union.
Csaba Borboly is Vice-President of Harghita County Council, member of the European Committee of the Regions, EPP shadow rapporteur on the opinion on the EU Environmental Implementation Review, and rapporteur of the CoR opinions on coexistence with large carnivores, ENVE-VI/025 and ENVE-VII/046.