Önkormányzati kommunikáció a COVID-19 világjárvány okozta krízishelyzetben

Összefoglaló. A COVID–19-járvány kezelésében az önkormányzatok kiemelkedő szerepet kaptak. Tanulmányunkban azt kívánjuk bemutatni, hogy ebben a krízishelyzetben, a járvány magyarországi három hulláma során az önkormányzatok milyen módon kommunikáltak különböző online felületeken (települési honlapok, települési és polgármesteri Facebook-oldalak) a lakossággal. A változó járványhelyzet, a reagálás gyorsaságának szükségessége felhívta a figyelmet arra, hogy milyen fontos az önkormányzatok és a lakosok közötti kommunikáció, illetve az új kommunikációs csatornák alkalmazása. A településtípusok között nem mutatkozott nagy különbség a kommunikáció mikéntjére, jellegzetességeire vonatkozóan, bár a feladatmennyiséget tekintve nyilván más-más kihívásokkal kellett az eltérő méretű önkormányzatoknak szembenézniük. Summary. Local governments had a key and prominent role in tackling COVID-19 pandemic. Their task was to take short-term measures quickly, to organize protection and care for those in need. The main objective of our paper is to present, how local governments communicated with their inhabitants on various online interfaces in this crisis situation. Our analysis covers 54 settlements representing all the different levels of the settlement network from large cities to small villages. We examined the webpages and Facebook pages of local governments and mayors, firstly during the first wave, then during the second and the third waves of the pandemic. Recognizing their responsibility, local governments clearly tried to provide all the information to the inhabitants as quickly as possible. They considered the online interfaces the most effective, but the online communication had typically been complemented by information published on more traditional channels as well. There were no significant difference in terms of the way and characteristics of communication among the different types of settlements, although local governments of different sizes obviously had to face different challenges in terms of the amount of tasks they had to tackle. The communication process was a very difficult task because of the lack of information and the not entirely transparent data provision. Even on the Facebook pages especially suitable for this purpose, interactivity rumbled, and in many cases the questions and suggestions of the inhabitants remained unanswered. It is instructive that, with few exceptions, local authorities do not place emphasis on surveying local needs and opinions. The full range of measures and contact with the public cannot be evaluated from local governmental online communication, but it can be said that the publication of information has changed thematically and has significantly declined in volume and frequency since the first month of the epidemic in March 2020. There were local governments that performed excellently in online communication, i.e. they published regular and relevant information, but there were also some (mainly small settlements) that did not use these channels at all or after a while. The latter may be explained by the fact that the population of the settlement – due to its age composition or the characteristics of Internet use – can be effectively informed mainly through other, traditional channels. There is little doubt that the lack of information available to local governments, declining local empowerment, and growing central management in epidemic management may also have resulted in less and less communication at the local level.

A COVID–19 járvány hatása a leghátrányosabb helyzetű településeken élők mindennapjaira: ahogy a hátrányos helyzetűek és a szociális szolgáltatásokat nyújtók látják

Összefoglaló. Jelen tanulmányunk a biztonság társadalmi aspektusait egy speciális csoport, a mélyszegénységben élő családok és az őket segítő szakemberek körében vizsgálja a COVID–19 idején. Kvalitatív módszerrel (csoportos és egyéni interjúk) a makro- (szociális támogatórendszer) és a mikrotársadalmi biztonság dimenziók összefüggését, valamint a mikroszintű biztonság dimenziók közti viszonyokat elemezzük. Ez utóbbi dimenziók leírásánál a kisgyermekes családok munkaerőpiaci és ezzel együtt anyagi helyzetére, mentális egészségi állapotukra, valamint az oktatási helyzet bemutatására koncentrálunk. Az egyes témák leírásánál az érintett családok és az őket segítő szakemberek helyzetértékelése is megjelenik a velük készített interjúk elemzése alapján. Summary. This study examines the social aspects of security among a specific group of families living in extreme poverty and the professionals helping them during Covid-19. Using a qualitative method (group and individual interviews), we analyse the relationship between macro (social support system) and micro social dimensions of security, as well as the linkages between micro-level dimensions of security. In describing the latter dimensions, we will focus on the labour market situation of families with young children, and hence on their financial situation, their mental health situation and their educational situation. The description of each theme also includes an assessment of the situation of the families concerned and the professionals who help them, based on an analysis of the interviews conducted with them. In the first phase of the study, social problems were identified on the basis of interviews with experts. In the second phase, individual interviews were conducted with the people concerned, the disadvantaged. 11 interviews were conducted with experts: 5 individual and 6 group interviews. In the second phase, 50 disadvantaged people were interviewed individually. In general, it can be concluded that the daily life of people living in disadvantaged areas has been further affected by the pandemic. The labour market situation has changed and, in this context, the financial situation of the interviewees has further deteriorated. Single-parent families were particularly affected by these problems. The transition to online education has created difficulties for families, children, and teachers and additional tasks for social workers. In many places, the lack of accessible services, the low availability of equipment and low level of digital literacy have prevented distance learning from taking place, and the negative consequences for the population under study can only be predicted. The epidemic has affected the population not only financially but also mentally. The reduction in social life has led to an increase in domestic violence. In some areas, the number of births in disadvantaged families has increased, especially among minors. In fact, the epidemic has brought to the surface the problems that disadvantaged people face on a daily basis: unemployment and deprivation, compounded by educational underachievement. The workload of those working in the social field has also become more visible: a shortage of staff and a lack of resources. At the same time, the enormous potential and flexibility of the current human resources have been revealed.

A válságok hatása a politikai rendszerekre

Összefoglaló. A második világháborút követően talán nem volt egyetlen esemény sem, amely olyan hatást gyakorolt a világ országaira, mint a koronavírus-járvány kirobbanása. A vírus-válság felgyorsította a liberális világrend erózióját, kiélezte a nagyhatalmak közötti ellentéteket, válságforgatókönyvek és prognózisok készültek. A válság rávilágított arra is, hogy kudarcra vannak ítélve azok a kormányzatok, amelyek nem ruháztak be a közösségi infrastruktúrába, és elhanyagolták a közszolgálati tudást. Az is kiderült, hogy a kormányzati intézményeknek szakértőkre és nem lojális mamelukokra van szüksége a válsághelyzetből fakadó közpolitikai gondok megoldása során. Egy világméretű és példátlan sebességgel terjedő válság elleni eredményes fellépés elsődleges frontvonala tehát a nemzetállam maradt. Summary. In times of crisis, all political systems give the executive exceptional powers, as it is not possible to face new and rapidly changing challenges within the framework of existing laws. One of the American founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, who feared the excessive power of central government, believed that in times of emergency the system of checks and balances should be suspended. Constitutional democracy will be threatened if the rule of law is not restored after the emergency has passed. Perhaps no event since the Second World War has had such an impact on the countries of the world as the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic. The virus crisis accelerated the erosion of the liberal world order, sharpened the antagonism between the great powers, especially the US and China, and highlighted the vulnerability of the production chains that had been outsourced to the Far East in the hope of cheap labour. Crisis scenarios and forecasts were drawn up, and prominent scientists and researchers expressed the view that there would be no return to the world before the virus. The virus crisis has also highlighted the failure of governments that have not invested in community infrastructure and have neglected public knowledge. It has also shown that government institutions need experts, not loyal mamelukes, to solve public policy problems arising from the crisis. The coronavirus is the most pressing challenge of this century so far, and in responding to it, localism is being valorised as a crucial centre of solidarity and problem-solving. Forecasters fear that rising inequalities and the erosion of family savings could trigger a wave of political discontent that is more angry and violent than ever before. The majority of people will not be able to manage their children’s digital education and work from home without a separate room and computing infrastructure, so governments will need to develop special programmes to address this, and people’s health and the capacity of public health to cope will come to the fore. The pandemic crisis has provided a new argument for those who argued for the reinvention of the state and the importance of governments’ ability to act quickly to deal effectively with natural and economic crises. In recent decades, many have buried the nation state, arguing that successful responses to global problems in a globalised world cannot be found within the framework of a nation state. The Covid-19 crisis has shown that the nation state remains the first front line for effective action against a crisis that is spreading at an unprecedented global scale and speed. Different countries have followed different crisis management strategies and very significant differences in contagion rates have emerged. The crisis has reassessed the role of nation states and borders, which already played an important role in receiving migration flows.

A magyar állampénzügyi rendszer rezilienciája a COVID–19 járvány kapcsán

Összefoglaló. A COVID–19 járvány a magyar gazdaság teljesítményeit és pénzügyi egyensúlyát is gyengítette, ám a korábbról stabil államháztartási alapok következtében a negatív hatások csak átmenetinek vélelmezhetők. Magyarország 2010–2019 között egy sikeres állampénzügyi reformot hajtott végre, amely jó alapot ad a válság elleni védekezéshez. Ugyanakkor a járványválság még erősebben ráirányítja a figyelmet a magyar nemzetgazdaság versenyképességének erősebb javítására, az infláció fékezésére, a költségvetési egyensúly megfelelő keretek között tartására, és a kis- és középvállalati szektor mérethatékonyságának növelésére. A tanulmány bemutatja a válság alatti fiskális és jegybanki intézkedések vázát, és egyúttal utal a válság utáni időszak kihívásaira, amelyek a nemzetközi térből, s különösen a jegybanki politika megváltozásából fakadnak. Summary. The COVID-19 epidemic hit the position of the otherwise strong Hungarian economy. We could see an economic downturn and financial imbalance developed in the last one and half years. As in the recovery (post-crisis) period of the 2010 decade, the crisis is being addressed with the active involvement of the state and the central bank. However, in the course of managing the crisis, it arises that on the new growth trajectory to be built after the recovery period, the competitiveness aspects, especially in the small and medium-sized enterprise category, which plays a major role in Hungary, should be more efficient than in the previous decade. It is necessary to improve the size efficiency, liquidity and capital efficiency of the SME sector by means of fiscal regulation, and the allocation of state resources should be more strongly linked to the requirements of export capacity and innovative business conduct. The decade after the 2007–2008 crisis – the previous recovery period – was characterized by the weak enforcement of fiscal policies in regulating and improving competitiveness, especially in Hungary, where change is essential. After 2013, Hungarian monetary policy also caught up with the international practice of quantitative easing, achieving significant results in improving both the financial balance and economic growth. However, the previous quantitative easing of the central bank, as well as the increase of budget expenditures on epidemiological expenditures, investments, normative budget annual subsidies from the European Union and subsidies from the European Reconstruction Fund, and even investment loans from our Eastern economic partners, generates an overheated economy, inflationary pressures, and external and balance of payments deficits. Added to this is the wage dynamics of the population, and the permanent and even increasing disbursement of family benefits during the crisis. All in all, in the 2020s we will face a new financial-debt crisis, unemployment and labor shortage problems, the competitiveness problems of the small business sector, culminating in the reorganization of the world economy, new competitiveness aspects, it will be a rather complex task. Thus, the turn of competitiveness that has essentially failed in the context of an abundance of resources and consolidated macroeconomic conditions (2010-2019) must be implemented “uphill”, it is only the time, will and opportunity to take its first steps. But the main lesson of the crises caused by the epidemics (also) is that the remaining economic entities have become stronger. And perhaps there is a chance to avoid falling into the trap of medium development through a new central bank policy that moderates inflation and truly enforces modernization considerations, as well as improving financial positions and improving economic positions (competitiveness).

A globális, az európai uniós vírusválság határpolitikai hatásai.

Összefoglaló. Az elmúlt mintegy másfél év alatt a COVID–19 vírus valójában több struktúrában megrengette a világot, az Európai Uniót és egyes országokat is. A világ államai rövid idő alatt bezárkóztak, az Európai Unió 30 napra lezárta külső határait, az egyes tagállamok pedig az uniós belső határokat is lezárták. Veszélybe került a schengeni rendszer. A Kárpát-medence államai az elsők között reagáltak a határok lezárásával. Az egyéni döntések kritikája erőteljesen megjelent az Európai Bizottság részéről. A globális, az európai és a szomszédállami folyamatok összefüggtek. A határok lezárása feltehetően hozzájárult a vírus terjedésének a korlátozásához. (Ausztrália példája ezt erősíti.) A határzárak a nemzetközi tranzitforgalomban, a határ menti területeken élők és az ingázók között okozták a legnagyobb bizonytalanságot, több esetben zűrzavart. Summary. According to the first ‘official announcement’ in December of 2019 the Covid-19 virus is reported to have emerged in China. The global spread of the virus was extremely fast. On 11 March 2020, the WHO declared Covid-19 to be a global pandemic. As of 31 March 2020 about 91% of the world population lived in countries with border and travel restrictions (border-closed world). The brief analysis reviews the main processes affecting EU and Member States borders, with a special regard to Hungary and its neighbours in the Carpathian Basin. On 17 March 2020, the EU closed its external borders for 30 days.to non-EU citizens. In parallel, a number of Member States decided to close their borders to both Schengen Zone members and third countries. As a response to border closures, the EU Commission and some states organized the repatriation of about 600,000 EU citizens. On 4 March, virus was officially reported to have been detected in Hungary. On 11 March the Hungarian Government declared a national state of emergency. On 15 March the first coronavirus-related death was announced. On 16 March the Government ordered the complete closure of Hungarian borders. After a border ‘traffic chaos’ along the Austrian-Hungarian border, the Hungarian Government – with collaborations with Romania – opened humanitarian corridors for foreign citizens. The possibilities of border crossings of citizens of seven neighbours of Hungary were formed not just by Hungary. In 2020 because of different changes (modifications, opening and closing) we could form at least three categories: open borders, partly open borders, closed borders. In the neighbouring countries (Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia) the progression of the epidemic followed the same pattern. Over the past year and a half the virus crisis has actually shaken many structures of the globalized world, the European Union and many countries in the Carpathian Basin. The virus crises has disrupted intensive connections between Hungary and neighbouring countries. Neither Hungary nor its neighbours were able to insulate themselves from the epidemic waves. The border restrictions primarily affected the movements of persons. Because of ‘permanent uncertainty’ commuters were the losers of the crisis.

Iparági sérülékenység a pandémia tükrében

Összefoglaló. Jelen tanulmányban a termelési folyamatokat, valamint statisztikai adatokat elemezve azt vizsgáljuk, hogy a pandémia során milyen hatások érték az inputokat, magát a termelést, az outputokat, illetve hogyan változtak meg olyan versenyprioritási tényezők, mint az idő, a minőség vagy a rugalmasság. Mivel a rövidebb, a kevésbé komplex és rugalmasabb értékláncok válságállóbbnak tűnnek, ez felgyorsíthatja az ellátási láncok regionalizációját, amit tovább fokoz, hogy a termelőszektor gyors visszarendeződésével szemben a szolgáltató ágazatoknak elhúzódó kilábalással kell szembenézniük. Ezért azt is megvizsgáltuk, hogy az egyes országok ellenálló képessége függ-e a termelő szektor méretétől. Eredményeink alapján, ahol nagyobb az ipar aránya, ott gyorsabban képes a gazdaság talpra állni, ami újabb lökést adhat a fejlett államok iparfejlesztési törekvéseinek. Summary. The coronavirus epidemic posed challenges to all. However, with proper discipline, increased efficiency and adaptability, companies and economies can emerge stronger from this situation. In this study, we examine vulnerability of industries along three dimensions according to the general model of production complemented by aggregate statistics from Eurostat. In terms of procurement, shorter value chains seem more resilient than complex and long supply chains. Supplier risks may be also mitigated by increasing the number of suppliers of critical inputs. The costs and risks of transporting goods are also increasing. 90% of industrial products are involved in international trade, mostly transported through maritime shipping that faces significant increase in tariffs, and the difficulty of replacing crews could lead to further disruptions to the operation of maritime routes. Thus, it is not surprising that the pandemic has increased the issue of supply chain flexibility and simplification, and has drawn attention to the importance of inventories and input replacement. Companies may consider to diversify production sites or even reshore or nearshore their production. The rate of recovery varies in each sector: in services requiring a personal presence, such as tourism, the sudden economic downturn is followed by a slow growth, contrary to the rapid rebound of industrial production. Therefore, countries with significant manufacturing will witness V-shaped recovery, while higher reliance on services is characterized by slower and longer L-shaped scenario. Thus, the pandemic also pointed out that industrial production is key in a national economy: besides that industrial innovations increase productivity (and living standards) and manufacturing functions also have a significant multiplier effect on the service sector, manufacturing also has significant resistance against a pandemic. This could give a further push to the ongoing industrial development programs of developed economies such as Germany, the United States, or the European Union. At the same time, services that are able to move online show no decline, while service requiring a personal presence may struggle in the long run. Overall, structural changes are inevitable and companies have to adapt to the novel consuming and working preferences.

A politikai filozófia a világjárványról

Összefoglaló. Ez a filozófiai esszé arra tesz kísérletet, hogy megpróbálja nyomon követni a világjárvány kibontakozását, a változatos védelmi stratégiákat, valamint a mégiscsak bekövetkező tragédiákat a politikai filozófia perspektívájából. Mégpedig valós időben. Az esszé abból a hipotézisből indul ki, hogy az emberiséget váratlanul érte ugyan a járvány, mégis igen gyorsan tudott reagálni (lásd az oltóanyag előállításának gyorsaságát), az egyes emberek azonban nem tudtak kilépni saját természetük korlátai közül. Ennek megfelelően a hatalom ismét elkövette a szokásos hibákat, a lázadók lázadtak, és a politika továbbra is a konfliktusok kezelésének művészete maradt. A politikával foglalkozóknak azonban kincsesbánya ez a korszak a politika természetének elemzéséhez. Summary. This paper, written in the genre of the literary essay, tries to keep track of the birth and development of the pandemic, the various defence strategies and the tragedies that took place anyhow, from the perspective of the discipline of political philosophy. Now political philosophy is not characteristically ready to react promptly to the events of the day. It has got a long term perspective, and therefore has no intention to keep an eye on the headlines of the online news portals. It has got long term debits, which cannot be easily paid back in cash. And yet the claim of the paper is that in fact we are confronted by a state of affairs when political philosophy is obliged to take note of contemporary events. And it has to try to respond to those events almost “real time” or directly. We are aware of 4 million dead, by now, which is an unacceptable number. To tackle states of emergency parliaments are usually ready to offer exceptional measures for government action, even in parliamentary democracies. Yet politicians do not necessarily want to take on board the struggle with the virus – they can easily drop it out from the issues of the day –, claiming that public health should not be politicized. Yet by leaving the stage to let professional experts make the decisions, they give up their chance to unite the camp. Statesmen can only unite their camp behind them, if they make use of the window of opportunity opened by an emergency situation, and if they are able to make use of the phobias and anxieties of everyday people, in the fashionable populist, plebeian manner. The essay analyses two basic relationships influenced by the pandemic. One is claimed to be the intergovernmental, or global scene. Here, the great and developing powers are competing with each other, through the still mostly acceptable international norms of taking advantage of inequality. The other is the inner political scene, where there is a growing distrust between the authorities and the ordinary people, fuelled by restrictions, fake news, and forms either of controlling society by illegal means, or of influencing leaders by indirect means. The last part of the essay presents three major aspects from where one can analyse the happenings: a social, a communicational and an economic perspective on its effects. The essay finishes with some cautionary, sceptical notes on human nature, in order to keep vigilance in emergency situations on the loss of balance, either internal or external, to avoid the major dangers.

Stílusváltozatok a világ rendészeti járványkezelésében

Összefoglaló. A világjárvány a Föld minden országát fenyegeti. Az ellene folytatott küzdelem eredményeit és kudarcait akkor lehet felmérni, ha a veszély elmúlt. Addig csak a vírus támadásának a más társadalmi kockázatoktól eltérő egyedi tulajdonságai tárhatóak fel. Tanulmányozásra várnak az egyes országokban bevezetett rendkívüli intézkedések és az Egészségügyi Világszervezet (WHO) globális védekezésre tett kezdeményezései. Summary. The time has not yet come for a comprehensive assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic situation. At this stage, it is possible to collect information, formulate incomplete hypotheses, and define possible research directions and methodology. With this in mind, our paper will focus primarily on domestic practices. We will study the legislation, the constitutional basis of the special legal order, the functioning of public administration organisation, the reactions of criminal substantive and procedural law and, finally, the changed tasks and functions of law enforcement administration in the emergency situation. On the basis of the information available to us, we are seeking answers to three questions. Firstly, can the pandemic be considered a global threat to societies, one with specific characteristics that are different from all other threats? Secondly, what role do the state, government in general, and public administration authorities and law enforcement in particular, have to play in combating the pandemic? Thirdly, can international cooperation achieve such a level of global capacity for action that is needed to tackle the global threat? In response to the first question, the study describes the specificities that justify the uniqueness of the pandemic in nine points: the classification as the highest risk, the three hazards theory, the incomparable nature of the consequences of pandemics and natural disasters, the exclusion of any prior consideration of risk-taking, the application of the tolerable and intolerable distinction, the inconsistency of the typology of internal and external risks, a characteristic that cannot be predicted by legislation, the mathematical measurability of consequences, and the impact on the world economy. Our second aim was to present the domestic practice of combating the epidemic through the special legal order, drawing on the evaluations of legal scholars on the subject published since 2020. We have reviewed the constitutionality of the special legal order, its impact on central state and municipal administration, on substantive and procedural criminal law, and on law enforcement administration. Attention was paid to a specific institution dictated by the exceptional situation: the hospital command system. The police officers temporarily appointed to this post are responsible for supporting the organisational work in health institutions, which cannot include medical activities requiring medical training. The third theme focused on the World Health Organisation’s response to the epidemic from a global perspective. We recalled that the idea of an international treaty was first raised by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, at the Paris Peace Forum in November 2020 and subsequently endorsed by the G7 leaders on 19 February 2021. EU leaders then expressed their commitment to start work on the preparation of an international treaty on pandemics in the framework of the World Health Organisation. We are convinced that this threefold approach will be worth pursuing when the opportunity arises to assess good and bad practices in epidemic management. However, this will be a task for the post-COVID era.

Környezetbiztonság – jövő nemzedékek védelme – elővigyázatosság

Összefoglaló. A biztonságpolitika és a környezetvédelem egyre fontosabbá váló közös kérdése a környezetbiztonság, a környezettel összefüggésben jelentkező veszélyhelyzetek, konfliktusok, válságok kezelése, lehetőség szerint megelőzése, hiszen azok a környezeti, társadalmi, gazdasági rendszerek stabilitását súlyosan megzavarják. Környezetbiztonságról akkor kerül szó, amikor a környezet terhelése, erőforrások felhasználása az elfogadhatónak tartott mértéket meghaladja. Erre példa, amikor ez környezeti migrációt vált ki vagy közreműködik vírusok terjedésében. Kiemelt kérdéseink egyike a jövő nemzedékek biztonságának veszélyeztetése, akiknek sorsa a mai generációk kezében van, számunkra jelent tehát kötelezettségeket. Az egyre szélesebb értelmet nyerő fenntartható fejlődés gondolata is e köré épül, erkölcsi értéket is megjelenítve egyben. A környezetvédelem és egyidejűleg a környezetbiztonság rendelkezésére álló számos eszköz, intézmény sorában – második részletesebben vizsgált kérdésként – előkelő helye van az elővigyázatosság elvének, hozzásegítve, hogy a lehető legkorábban próbáljuk kezelni a kockázatot jelentő helyzeteket, nem várva a teljes tudományos bizonyosságra azok létét illetően. Kiemelt témáink révén képet kapunk a kérdéskör komplexitásáról, sajátos összefüggéseinek rendszeréről, elhelyezve mindezt a környezetbiztonság egészében. Summary. Environmental security is unquestionably a vital element of both security and environmental policy, having a growing importance. This covers the management of conflicts, connected with environmental problems, the prevention and managing of crisis situations, which might seriously threaten the stability of environmental, social and economic systems in local, regional, national and global level. We may even assume that the effects of environmental degradation might always lead to possible conflicts, but the major delimitation is the extent. For example, one may mention environmental migration or the environmental implications of the current pandemic, due to the uncontrolled interaction between mankind and the natural environment. Environmental protection is a part of sustainable development, having ecological orientation. The most important constituents of sustainable development are inter- and intragenerational equity, both having a fundamental moral value. Environmental security is not only the enigma of the current generation but is connected to a great extent with the interests of future generations, who have no real influence on their own situation, as their destiny is in the hands of the current generation. The most suitable response should be to indicate the obligations of the current generation to protect the rights of the next ones. The Fundamental Law of Hungary is clear in this respect, placing future generations in the centre, among others in Article P). The substance of these references is clarified in the decisions of the Constitutional Court, using among others non-retrogression principle as a starting point. The latest decisions also refer to the precautionary principle as a major point of reference, which is a rational tool for both environmental security issues and for the protection of the rights of future generations. The precautionary principle means that we should control risky situations at the earliest possible stage, preceding the duty of prevention, not waiting till the full scientific certainty becomes reality. This requirement should form the basis of any activity having the chance for significant pollution, degradation, or generating a crisis situation. According to the Constitutional Court even the state – which has a primary responsibility in this respect – must take special care for the careful assessment of risks and should take all the available measures to avoid negative consequences. The Court also underlined that the precautionary principle has a constitutional character, based upon the rights of future generations.

Válaszkeresés járvány idején a felmerülő erkölcsi kérdésekre

Összefoglaló. Most már második éve általános tapasztalat – és nemcsak egy kis területen, hanem az egész világon – a COVID–19 halálos járvány terjedése (az elnevezés pontosan: SARS-CoV-2), amelyet már nem lehetett egyszerű megfázásnak vagy gyorsan elmúló betegségnek tekinteni, hanem egy olyan súlyos állapotnak, mely fenyegeti minden ember életét, függetlenül attól, hogy ki hol él. Az egészségügyi kutatók az ellenanyag kifejlesztéséért küzdöttek, mely megállíthatja a vírus terjedését. A gyógyítás kérdései mellett azonban filozófiai és vallási kérdések is felmerültek, melyekre pszichológusok és hittudósok is keresik a választ. Az ember teremtettségéből és szabad akaratából kiindulva a jelen tanulmány a Bibliában közölt kinyilatkoztatás és a keresztény tanítás alapján vállalkozik nemcsak lehetséges válaszokat adni, hanem a járvány komolyságával számolva a jelenség hitbeli és teológiai magyarázatát is megfogalmazni. Summary. The Covid-19 epidemic, which began in late 2019 and early 2020, has reached everyone: the family, the workplace, and public life. The phenomenon also requires a comprehensive solution. The unfortunate experience has taught everyone that there is no age limit for the virus because it affects everyone equally. It has become clear that it is not individual solutions that are needed, but only community path finding, that no one lives alone in isolation. Throughout its two-thousand-year history, Christianity has accompanied man in both its successes and failures. God’s revelation-based teaching is unchanged and to this day He provides His resulting answers to everyone by placing the whole man before God. This Christian-minded anthropology means that man lives in a personal relationship that assigns him to God alone. In terms of faith, it thus approaches the crisis, the disease, the drama of being, in a different way, which sees the reality of life and death in a greater context. The spread of the current epidemic has been interpreted by many as a divine punishment. But God, the Creator, who is good, cannot be the source of good and evil at the same time, he cannot be the starting point of evil. It is precisely because of these characteristics that spiritual and moral behavior is valued in the epidemiological situation. Christianity does not see God-consciously directing punitive action in unpleasant events for people and humanity, as God is first and foremost a Father. In the Old Testament, there is no connection between a particular disease or other plague and the personal sins of those who suffer it. Far from the New Testament, the conclusion is that it links the plagues, diseases, and epidemics we experience to the sins committed by individual people. The turn of the New Testament, then, is also significant in the presentation of God. It is no longer the image of the fearsome and terrible God that emerges, but the teaching of Jesus, who says of His Father, “God is love.” The God of the New Testament is a God of co-suffering and compassion who thinks not of punishment but of forgiveness. Troubles are not necessarily attributable to the sins of individuals, but actually to the sins of all mankind. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to feel somehow responsible for the other when they see that their sins continue. However, the viral situation has also shown unparalleled human behaviors and values, especially on the part of healthcare professionals. Perhaps involuntarily, among those who acted for others, man’s better self manifested itself, so they were able to make sacrifices as well. Of them, too, Jesus said, just before his suffering, that “no one loves more than he who gives his life for his friends.” It is love that overcomes fear, that can be the cure for a virus.