Dr. Attila Nyikos and the EU

School Blog 7

What’s been happening people? Anything going wrong in the real world these days?

Last Wednesday the JSBP crew and I got a chance to hear about some of the things that are going right in the world, which was a nice change of pace from the gloomy tales of Hungarian history that our ears are so often subject to.  We were lucky enough to hear a lecture from Dr. Attila Nyikos, who is the head of Hungary’s National Disaster Management International Relations department. He is a very important figure in the stratosphere of Hungarian government, and it was quite easy to come to that conclusion from his presence in the room.

Experts Pexterts

He plays the lead role in what he described as Hungary’s version of FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in place in case of crisis in the US motherland). As a citizen of any nation it’s really easy to take for granted the idea that the government will always be there for you whenever the proverbial shit hits the fan. If a tsunami rips through Hampton I truly do feel like FEMA has got my back, and is prepared to help me in case of any such emergency. However, the logistical preparations and manpower that is required for any such operation is massive, and there needs to be an organized group of talented people in charge for any relief project to go smoothly.

            Dr. Nyikos is the luminous figure behind Hungary’s disaster management organization, and earlier this year he spent six months as the European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Affairs president as well. This means that from his office in Geneva, Nyikos led the disaster management departments (the FEMAs) for every one of the twenty-seven European Union member nations. Nyikos and his team of EU statesmen were in charge of the preparations for relief in case any serious emergencies were to occur throughout Europe. They were also in the leadership position if any such civil adversities transpired, such as the Hungarian red sludge accident or the evacuation of EU citizens who were left homeless refugees in northern Africa due to Muammar Gaddafi’s terrorism in Libya.

Member Nations

Nyikos was an interesting character, and his recent work from within the European Union was extremely impressive to say the least. The European Union is a very polarizing organization. Most European’s feel an incredibly strong tie to their home country, and are not completely sold on the idea of a single European voice. When asked about the issue, Nyikos stated that the “EU is not perfect, but it’s the best we have”. However, after hearing him talk about the time he spent working within the EU my opinion is that it is truly a positive step for all European nationalities.

Nyikos and his teammates within the civil protection organization were often from different nations and spoke different mother tongues, yet they worked together as a unit towards common goals. I think that this is the most prominent feature of the European Union. Enhanced communication between Europeans of different nationalities is crucial for the continued peace and prosperity of this region. After hundreds of years of animosity and fighting between many of these diverse peoples it is time for mutual understanding to become solidified. Oftentimes when you actually have the chance of conversing with someone in person, that person (or persons) becomes very hard to blindly hate.

So word up European Union, keep up the communication and you’ll end up on the right side of history.

Love,

Mama’s Boy