\n
Today many people asked me: why did I have to be in Brussels when, back home in Harghita County, the year-end evaluation of mayors was taking place\u2014an event where I would have liked to be present myself.<\/p>\n
The answer is simple, even if it is not comfortable:\u00a0the EU\u2019s 2028\u20132034 financial period is taking shape right now<\/strong>, and those who are not present in the antechamber of decisions at such moments will later only look at \u201chow the menu turned out\u201d \u2014 without having written it themselves. Today was about ensuring that Harghita County, Szeklerland, and the Hungarian communities of the Carpathian Basin have real chances: access to funding, visibility, cultural and civic strength, and the respect they deserve.<\/p>\n And yes: while many people were \u201craising a glass\u201d today, I did not \u2014 partly because there simply was no time, and partly because I do not wish to bring home a Ciuc\u2013Odorheiu\u2013Gheorgheni virus package as a gift. (Those who know me understand: if it\u2019s a gift, let it be additional funding, not additional coughing.)<\/p>\n Why couldn\u2019t I be at home with the mayors today?<\/strong><\/p>\n The mayors\u2019 year-end evaluation is important. It is important to me personally as well \u2014 it is where we see what worked, what did not, and where we need to turn our focus in 2026. I would have liked to be there.<\/p>\n However, today\u2019s Brussels meeting did not come up yesterday: this appointment was scheduled well in advance. And there is one sentence that cannot be repeated often enough:\u00a0credibility as a rapporteur in these circles can be lost only once<\/strong>. If you are not there when it matters, the next door opens only halfway.<\/p>\n Moreover, what we are discussing today in Brussels is not a \u201cdistant Brussels issue\u201d: it is a series of decisions that we will encounter at home in 5\u20136 years \u2014 in application conditions, available support, administrative requirements, and ultimately in who has opportunities and who does not.<\/p>\n AgoraEU: why is it important for me to be \u201cinside\u201d an EU institution?<\/strong><\/p>\n Today, at the stakeholder consultation, we discussed\u00a0AgoraEU<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 the framework that in the coming period may provide larger and more coordinated support for culture, media, values, citizenship, youth, and civic courage.<\/p>\n My message today was the same as always:<\/p>\n I needed to be here because\u00a0resources must be brought<\/strong>\u00a0to Harghita County, to Szeklerland, and more broadly to Hungarian programmes across the Carpathian Basin: Today I also held discussions with key stakeholders, including:<\/p>\n These meetings are not \u201cprotocol photos.\u201d They are\u00a0bridge-building efforts<\/strong>: alliances, arguments, partnerships. Because if we want peripheral regions to have real opportunities in 2028\u20132034,\u00a0the rules must be set now<\/strong>, so that not only \u201cthe big players\u201d win again and again.<\/p>\n UDMR: we are few, but we work as a team \u2014 at home and in Brussels<\/strong><\/p>\n Here comes an important, often invisible dimension:\u00a0this is not a one-person job<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Within UDMR we are few, yet we work as a team: locally, in Parliament, in government, and here in Brussels as well. Too often in Romanian politics the biggest disadvantage is haste and ad hoc decision-making. In contrast, we coordinate, seek allies, and consistently represent a clear direction.<\/p>\n Not because it is easy, but because when you are few,\u00a0you must build majorities more intelligently<\/strong>: with arguments, partnerships, and consistency at every level.<\/p>\n This is important for Romania as well: without a strategy, you get \u201cwhatever happens\u201d \u2014 and then you have to cook from whatever is at hand. I was here today to ensure that we do not simply drift along, but actively shape what is coming.<\/p>\n Protest in Brussels: for farmers outside, for the future inside<\/strong><\/p>\n Today there was also a protest in Brussels, and yes:\u00a0representatives of farmers from Ciuc and Harghita County were present<\/strong>. I supported them.<\/p>\n Why? Because what they represent is not a \u201csectoral grievance,\u201d but\u00a0a way of life, continuity, and the future of the landscape<\/strong>. They are standing up so that the value they produce is not crushed by an over-bureaucratised system of rules, while the market is distorted by cheap imports, often arriving under unfair competitive conditions.<\/p>\n And here comes the core message of the day: Rural farmers do not only produce food. They:<\/p>\n This must not be dismantled.<\/p>\n That is why it is entirely compatible that on the same day I work \u201cinside\u201d on the 2028\u20132034 framework, while they work \u201coutside\u201d so that from 2028 onward life in rural areas can be better. The fact that I was in the building of an EU institution today does not mean that I chose the other side of the barricade.\u00a0I chose the same thing as our farmers<\/strong>: a future, continuity, and fair rules.<\/p>\n We are one team.<\/strong> What do I take home from this day?<\/strong><\/p>\n The next European Union is taking shape at\u00a0supersonic speed<\/strong>, and those who do not prepare will be left with a vague \u201csomething will happen.\u201d We must not react ad hoc, but keep a clear direction: values, heritage, culture, community, rural areas, young people, civic strength.<\/p>\n That is what I worked for today \u2014 even if I was\u00a0not at my best<\/strong>. We cannot stop, because the stakes are high: respect, resources, opportunities.<\/p>\n Thank you for the understanding also to those who\u00a0missed me at home in Harghita County<\/strong>\u00a0today. This day was not an absence, but\u00a0an investment<\/strong>: so that what can be launched today in Brussels will be visible tomorrow at home as well.<\/p>\n Brussels, 18 December 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today many people asked me: why did I have to be in Brussels when, back home in Harghita County, the year-end evaluation of mayors was taking place\u2014an event where I would have liked to be present myself. The answer is simple, even if it is not comfortable:\u00a0the EU\u2019s 2028\u20132034 financial period is taking shape right […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[84],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1638"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1640,"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1638\/revisions\/1640"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cor.borbolycsaba.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\nfor culture, heritage protection, media, and the valuable work of our civil organisations.<\/p>\n\n
\nbetween\u00a0culture\u2013media\u2013civic courage<\/strong>\u00a0and agriculture there is more in common than one might think at first glance.<\/p>\n\n
\nSome stand in the street. Others argue over the rules inside.
\nThe goal is shared:<\/strong>\u00a0that from 2028 onward things are better, not worse, for our children.<\/p>\n