Those who have protected nature should not have to pay twice — Borboly Csaba’s message from Brussels
Brussels, April 22, 2026
The European Union is currently working on a legislative package aimed at simplifying environmental regulations across Europe. From the perspective of Harghita County, this process is particularly important: our region has demonstrated for decades that people and nature can coexist. Borboly Csaba, Vice President of Harghita County Council and member of the European Committee of the Regions, discussed today in Brussels that this simplification must not become an additional burden for communities that have already done the most to protect nature.
What is this EU report about and why does it matter to us?
The European Commission published in December a major legislative package aimed at reducing environmental administrative burdens across the EU. The proposal covers industrial emissions permits, waste management, environmental assessments, and authorization procedures.
The European Committee of the Regions — the Brussels-based institution where both Romania and Harghita County are represented — is preparing an opinion on this proposal. While not legislation, this opinion must be formally submitted into the legislative process and is taken into account by the European Parliament and the Council. Borboly Csaba submitted amendments to ensure that mountainous, rural, and environmentally valuable regions are not placed at a disadvantage compared to large urban industrial areas.
The double disadvantage: those who preserved nature are now penalized
Harghita County is home to one of Europe’s largest bear populations. Its forests are well preserved, its waters are clean, and its biodiversity is outstanding. This is no coincidence: local communities, farmers, and authorities have lived in balance with nature for generations.
However, the current proposal risks placing disproportionate administrative burdens on exactly these regions. The same deadlines and reporting obligations would apply to a small rural municipality as to a large industrial facility. A small local administration does not have the institutional capacity to manage such complex requirements. In this context, protecting nature could become a competitive disadvantage.
This is the core issue: on the one hand, these regions comply most strictly with environmental rules; on the other, they receive the least support to implement them.
What did Borboly Csaba propose in Brussels?
The amendments convey three key messages:
Mountain and rural regions must receive financial support through cohesion policy to implement environmental requirements.
Deadlines and obligations should not be set uniformly at EU level but adapted to national and territorial realities, based on territorial impact assessments.
The European Commission must provide simple, accessible guidance in national languages, along with user-friendly digital tools for small communities.
What happens next and when will people feel the impact?
The opinion of the Committee of the Regions will be voted in plenary on May 6–7, 2026. After that, the European Parliament and the Council will negotiate the proposal for several months. If an agreement is reached, the new rules will enter into force gradually, most likely from 2028–2029.
This is a slow process, but that is precisely why it is important for mountainous and rural regions to be present from the beginning of negotiations.
What can Romania do and what is the role of UDMR?
The Romanian government and its ministers can support this approach in EU negotiations. Romania can argue that uniform rules disproportionately affect regions with high biodiversity and limited administrative capacity.
A concrete step would be to carry out a national territorial impact assessment to demonstrate the real effects on small communities. This is not opposition to simplification, but a realistic approach.
What can Harghita County already do?
The county does not have to wait for Brussels. It can:
apply for model-region status in EU biodiversity programs;
document traditional practices that sustain biodiversity;
build partnerships with similar European regions to present a common position.
The principle worth fighting for
Nature protection here is not the result of recent regulation, but of a long-standing way of life. It would be unjust if this became a bureaucratic burden.
Brussels must recognize this. Romania’s government must represent it. And at local level, it must be demonstrated.
The EU’s simplification process now offers this opportunity — if we make use of it.
Borboly Csaba
Vice President of Harghita County Council
Member of the European Committee of the Regions, ENVE Commission
