What happened?
\nOn 25 February 2026, the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) organized a stakeholder consultation in Brussels entitled \u201cIntegrating climate, energy and environmental priorities into the Multiannual Financial Framework.\u201d The meeting was chaired and moderated by Rafa\u0142 Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw, who is also the rapporteur on this topic within the Committee of the Regions. Local and regional leaders from EU Member States, along with experts, discussed how climate, energy and environmental objectives should be reflected in the European Union\u2019s next long-term budget \u2013 the 2028\u20132034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).<\/p>\n
Why is this important for the people of Harghita County?
\nThe EU budget is not a distant \u201cBrussels issue.\u201d It finances rural development programs, agricultural subsidies, energy investments and environmental protection measures \u2013 including in Sz\u00e9kely Land. Borboly Csaba, President of Harghita County Council, took the floor personally to ensure that the specific concerns of our region \u2013 a mountainous, rural, border area \u2013 are reflected in European decision-making.<\/p>\n
What did Borboly Csaba say?
\nThe President raised the issue of biodiversity and large carnivores, illustrating the topic with a well-known local challenge: coexistence with bears.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that biodiversity is often discussed in abstract and general terms. But biodiversity also has a \u201cface\u201d: in many European regions, that face is the bear. The return and growth of bear populations is a conservation success story \u2013 proof that European cooperation and long-term investment in nature protection work. At the same time, the increasing number of bears poses real challenges for rural communities: livestock losses for farmers, safety concerns and social tensions.<\/p>\n
Key messages
\n* If we want people and bears to coexist, the costs cannot be borne solely by farmers. The EU budget (MFF) must provide adequate resources for prevention, compensation, monitoring and cross-border management.
\n* Electric fencing, early warning systems, support for shepherds and rapid compensation are not \u201cextra expenses\u201d \u2013 they are the price of a successful biodiversity policy.
\n* Large carnivores are part of a healthy ecosystem: they regulate wildlife populations and contribute to ecological balance. However, without proper financial support, local acceptance will decline, putting decades of conservation achievements at risk.<\/p>\n
Why focus on the bear issue?
\nHarghita County has one of the highest bear population densities in Romania. The regional dialogue of the European Commission\u2019s Large Carnivores Platform was co-organized by Harghita County Council. According to the latest research, Romania\u2019s bear population may number between 10,000 and 13,000 individuals \u2013 nearly double earlier estimates \u2013 making it the largest bear population in Europe outside Russia.<\/p>\n
Borboly Csaba has worked on this issue for more than ten years within the European Committee of the Regions. In February 2024, the ENVE Commission adopted the opinion entitled \u201cBiodiversity protection and coexistence with large carnivores in Europe,\u201d for which he served as rapporteur. As early as 2024, he proposed the creation of a dedicated EU fund for biodiversity financing, to avoid covering conservation costs from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget.<\/p>\n
What is the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)?
\nSimply put, it is the European Union\u2019s long-term budget plan, which determines how much and on what the EU can spend over seven-year periods. The current framework runs until 2027; preparations are now underway for the 2028\u20132034 period. Climate, energy and environmental objectives must be integrated into this framework \u2013 a process known as \u201cmainstreaming,\u201d meaning that green priorities are embedded across all spending programs.<\/p>\n
In the current framework, the EU committed to allocating at least 30% of its budget to climate objectives. However, the European Court of Auditors found that actual climate-related spending was significantly lower, highlighting the need for a more transparent and effective system in the next budget cycle.<\/p>\n
The Mayor of Warsaw as rapporteur \u2013 a shared EPP responsibility
\nThe rapporteur of the upcoming opinion is Rafa\u0142 Trzaskowski, Mayor of Warsaw and a member of the EPP group in the CoR \u2013 just like Borboly Csaba. This gives particular significance to the intervention: through cooperation within the EPP family, there is a realistic opportunity for proposals on biodiversity financing, the costs of coexistence with large carnivores, and compensation for rural regions to be incorporated into the draft report.<\/p>\n
One Europe, not two \u2013 a fair budget for nature-protecting regions!
\nBorboly Csaba highlighted a fundamental injustice: today in Europe, regions without protected species can operate more freely, are more competitive and face fewer restrictions. In contrast, regions that have preserved their natural wealth \u2013 such as Harghita County, where communities coexist with bears, wolves, protected forests and water catchment areas \u2013 face numerous constraints, while prevention, monitoring and compensation all require additional funding.<\/p>\n
This double standard is unfair. Those who protect nature should not be disadvantaged. Europe must be one \u2013 not divided into two: one that can develop freely, and another that bears the costs of conservation without compensation. That is why the next EU budget must recognize and reward Member States and regions that sustain Europe\u2019s biodiversity.<\/p>\n
Why we are in Brussels
\nThese issues are often not visible or easily understandable from home. But now is the moment to ensure that the regulations and budget currently being shaped include measures that can support our communities in the long term. The rules are being formed now \u2013 if we do not speak up, we risk falling behind for years.<\/p>\n
Borboly Csaba travelled to Brussels and personally participated in the consultation so that the voice of Sz\u00e9kely Land and Harghita County would be present at the table where European decisions are made. Thanks are also due to his team, whose work makes effective representation in Brussels possible.<\/p>\n
Comprehensive work for Sz\u00e9kely Land
\nIn Brussels, Borboly Csaba works as part of the RMDSZ team; others work in Bucharest, and others in local communities. Coordinated and comprehensive efforts are needed to ensure that life for the people of Sz\u00e9kely Land is safe, livable and prosperous \u2013 preserving the beauty and diversity of nature while guaranteeing people\u2019s security and well-being.<\/p>\n
Brussels, 25 February 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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