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Which year was the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement set up?

• 1938 (by the League of Nations)
• 1949
• 1987
• 1991
• 2001

The EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement was set up in 1987. The Representatives of the Committee of Ministers of France, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Turkey resolved to set up a Co-operation Group for the prevention of, protection against, and organisation of relief in major natural and technological disasters with the Resolution (87) 2.

Which country can join the Partial Agreement?

• Only EU countries
• Only Council of Europe non-member States
• Only Council of Europe member States
• Any country in the world
• No other country: since the Agreement has already been set up, it cannot be expanded

The EUR-OPA Agreement is "open" because any member and non-member State of the Council of Europe may apply to become a member.

What does “major hazard” mean?

• A teenager at home
• An event that happens unexpectedly
• A dangerous event that has an impact on human, economic or environmental interests
• A great disaster that only affects the environment
• A disaster that only results from the human activity

A potentially dangerous event, a risk, becomes a hazard only if it exists in an area where human, economic or environmental interests are at stake, and where there is a certain degree of vulnerability. Major or not, a hazard is difficult to predict and can cause direct damage (homes, infrastructure, buildings), indirect damage (work tools, interruption of communication, damage to the environment), natural hazards (landslides, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, storms,..) or technological hazards (industrial or nuclear).

What does EUR-OPA concretely do?

• Organises meetings in order for its Member states to exchange and cooperate in the field of major natural and technological disasters
• Finances research centers to help them developing projects to improve the awareness and resilience to major risks, at national and regional level
• Issues publications and guidelines on how to include vulnerable groups such as disabled people, children and migrants in disaster preparedness and response
• Works with international partners such as the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (IOM), DirectorateGeneral for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) of the European Commission in order to share experience and good practice in the field of disaster risk reduction
• All of the above

All the answers are correct. The EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement does that and much more!

What does EUR-OPA do to raise awareness for the younger generations?

• Creates board games where gamers can collect points every time a disaster is avoided
• Issues long publications without photos that teenagers have to read at school during their free time
• Runs a hiphop channel on Youtube
• Sponsors the BeSafeNet Olympiad competition which offers secondary school pupils from the EUR-OPA member States a chance to strengthen their knowledge on natural and technological hazards that they could face inside or outside of school.
• None of those initiatives – EUROPA only works with Ministries

In 2019, the BeSafeNet, sponsored by EUR-OPA launched the BeSafeNet Olympiad which is an online competition between secondary schools about “Better knowledge against disasters”. In addition to raising awareness about disasters and emergencies, the Olympiad offers fabulous prizes, including a possible visit to the Council of Europe for the winning team.