EYD Launch here and there: the success story…and the future?

One of the success stories around international development in Hungary is that of the European Year for Development - EYD so far. The Department for International Development at the Hungarian MFA was clever enough to ask for a close cooperation with HAND, the Hungarian Development NGO Platform, in this regard. It happened right from the start, when the MFA submitted its application to the EU for becoming national focal point. HAND shared its expertise and at the same time prepared an outstanding own tender together with eight of its members covering all of the thematic months laid out by the EU, providing event series throughout the year.

HAND pre-financed the project and launched its EYD activities already in January, with an event reported on in the news by several TV channels, main dailies and several news portals. The civil EYD launch was tri-opened by representatives of the EU, the MFA and civil society. The MFA organised its launch event only on the 24th of February. There they announced the winners of the EYD tenders, and HAND is among them!

Read more about the EYD lauch here.

The show must go on then – and it definitively will. The Hungarian EYD year is only a bit shadowed by the gossip on a possible re-division of the Hungarian MFA, yet another total re-organisation in one year time – a phenomena blocking effective work. Now, more and more sources say that the ministry will soon be separated into two, foreign trade and foreign affairs ministries. The bad news is that the Department for International Development would go to the trade ministry, reinforcing the new Orban foreign policy’s, the so called Eastern Opening’s approach which seemingly believes the only role of international development is that of supporting foreign trade.

Further information: Peter Rohonyi.

Photo: EYD lauch event of the Hungarian MFA.

Information provided by Peter Rohonyi, HAND