2012-01-12

MEPs Csaba Sógor and Anders Wijkman organized a book presentation in the European Parliament on the 11th of January 2012 in cooperation with the Swedish Environmental Institute. The event hosted the presentation of László Szombatfalvy’s book entitled The Greatest Challenges of Our Time. The volume can be accessed freely on the http://thegreatestchallengesofourtime.com website and has been published in print in English.

The author is of Hungarian origin, who fled to Sweden after the 1956 revolution in Hungary. He began his career as a stock trader. He quickly became rich due to his unique method of analysis and retired from active life in the 1980’s in order to extend his risk analysis method to other areas as well. Originally, he intended to produce a film about he subject, but he would have had to wait several years for the beginning of production, due to the busy schedule of Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman. So he chose writing instead.

The 85 year old author is currently the richest man in Sweden. His first book was originally published in the 2009 in Swedish and was intended for decision makers with the message the risk analysis has an important role in today’s world. In his book, Szombatfalvy makes an account of the challenges the modern world faces and talks about their consequences, such as ecological disasters, climate change, political violence, weapons of mass destruction and poverty.

MEP Csaba Sógor quoted a Chinese proverb saying that one who plans for one year, plants wheat, one who plans for ten year, plants a tree and plans for a hundred years, builds a school. He emphasized the responsibility of decision makers in long term strategic planning.

- As an author, László Szombatfalvy, a former risk analysis specialist at the stock market, reminds readers and decision makers that we need long term plans, not short term ones. We are responsible for our future, long term planning does not span one generation only – said the Hungarian MEP from Transylvania.