What happened in Brussels?
At the 172nd Plenary Session of the Committee of the Regions, held on 2 July 2026, the opinion on the renewal of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism was adopted — incorporating amendments successfully tabled by Csaba Borboly, Vice-President of the Harghita County Council and member of the Committee of the Regions.
The adopted text now explicitly names volunteer firefighters, rescue services and community emergency organisations, and calls on member states to involve these organisations as genuine partners in disaster preparedness planning, training and funding.
Why does this matter for Harghita County?
Due to the mountainous and rural character of Harghita County, volunteer firefighters and civil guard units are often the only first responders that communities in a given village can rely on in an emergency.
Under the new EU framework, member states will be obliged not to bypass these organisations, but to involve them in planning, provide them with training, and ensure their direct access to European funding.
This also means that the capacity for self-organisation within local communities, volunteerism as a value system, and the sense of belonging shaped by the culture and traditions of this region will now receive recognition and protection at European level.
What more did we seek — and why is it important to continue?
The protection of local values, nature-based ways of life, community-driven solutions and sustainable communities is not solely a matter for Harghita County — it is a shared interest of every similarly situated region across Europe that is home to indigenous minorities and characterised by mountainous and rural conditions.
The next steps in the process
The European Commission’s proposal will now be examined by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU; the final regulation is expected before 2027. Csaba Borboly will continue consultations with the relevant Members of the European Parliament to ensure that the mandatory inclusion of volunteers and the possibility of direct EU funding are embedded in the final legislation.