Under the title Together for Siclod, on the 27th of October MEP Csaba Sógor in cooperation with the Harghita County Resource Centre for Tradition and the Etid local council organized a conference at the local cultural centre.

„We called the people who care about Siclod - those originating or still living here, and the guests from Hungary - here today because this small village still keeps its traditions and protects its heritage and even though it has changed a lot in recent times, the things that evoke the memories of the forefathers and the past are still present –DAHR’s MEP Csaba Sógor said in his opening speech.

The professional debate was opened by Endre Szőcs, director of the Resource Center, who talked about Siclod’s sustainability from a cultural point of view. He considers that localities from the Udvarhelyszék region of Harghita County are more susceptible to depopulation than other regions because of higher emigration rates. The director also presented the current programmes of the Resource Center and offered the support of the institution for local cultural initiatives.

Local farmer and university professor Gábor Kolumbán spoke about the importance of the community in the future of Siclod. The former politician related his personal experiences about moving to neighboring Inlãceni and helping the development of the locality.

„In the life of a village it is very important to have people with initiative, an active community and for the community to be able to sustainably manage its resources. We must acknowledge that resources are limited, and this knowledge must be paired with moral responsibility – said Gábor Kolumbán, who also considers that a small village needs to develop sustainable businesses, not competitive ones.

In this individualistic world’s market there will almost instantly be competition, especially in a small village, where there are fewer resources. This is why we have to plan at community level. Just like in Lupeni or Zetea, where a fruit processing plant was built through a community effort, so can an association be formed in Siclod in order to build a fruit or meat processing plant, a dairy plant or an herbal packaging plant”, said Gábor Kolumbán. Etid’s mayor, László Szőcs and MP candidate József Moldován also called for solidarity among the locals.

The last presentation was made by György Elekes, an engineer from Hungary who bought a house in Siclod fifteen years ago. “I do not have family ties in Transylvania, I just simply like the region. I see Siclod, Inlãceni and Atia as the most beautiful villages in the region, the architectural heritage of which we need to protect”, he said. Elekes presented pictures to prove that traditional Szekler houses are losing their particularities. He called attention to the fact that Siclod’s architectural heritage is the village’s biggest asset and it must not be allowed to disappear.

In his closing remarks, MEP Csaba Sógor said that the meeting was successful in showing local values that make Siclod unique and special. “The next step is to have the local community organize itself as we have seen that it intends to. I feel that outside observers are always helpful in giving advice because they see the mistakes that locals seem to overlook. We came here today to show examples of good practices and to show locals that we can help Siclod through solidarity”, said Csaba Sógor, also announcing the possibility to organize another meeting.