WRITTEN QUESTION P-3381/98

by Maj-Lis Lööw (PSE) to the Commission

(9 November 1998)

Subject: EC-funded road-building in Cameroon rain forest

In 1996, the European Community provided funds for improvements to 52 km of roads in Cameroon, West Africa. This project had previously been rejected by the African Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank in 1992. The EU, nevertheless, continued to provide funding without carrying out an environmental impact assessment.

The European Community is now planning to provide ECU 55 million in aid for a road-improvement project in Cameroon.

Does the European Community intend to carry out an environmental impact assessment for this project and, if so, will it abide by the findings of the assessment?

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro On behalf of the Commission

(21 December 1998)

The project under consideration, to which the Honourable Member refers, concerns the rehabilitation and maintenance of existing roads. The roads picked out are priority roads, as defined by a World Bank study covering the entire road network in Cameroon. Cameroon's sectoral programme for the transport sector, which is supported by all the donors, is based on the World Bank list of priority roads. The programme is encouraging donors to improve coordination of their activities. Environmental impact studies have been carried out for the rehabilitation and maintenance arm of the transport sector programme. The studies recommended an action plan providing for specific environmental impact assessments to pinpoint particular flanking measures to protect the environment in the most sensitive areas.

To take the example of the road from Mbong Bang to Lomié, the Commission would stress that this road has existed for decades, as have all the other roads in the region, which are long-established routes serving a population of around 200 000, of whom approximately 10 % are from the Baka tribe. The Community project covered only road maintenance, to the tune of ECU 600 000. The road forms part of the priority network identified in the Government of Cameroon's sectoral transport programme, established in December 1993 and approved by the donors concerned, including the World Bank, which has never refused to finance projects relating to this road. What the African Development Bank rejected was the construction of a modern nine-metre wide road, to be asphalted later.

With regard to the environmental impact studies, and environmental protection programmes in general, the Commission supports a number of projects in Cameroon focusing on sustainable forestry and protecting biodiversity. These include the Central African Forest Ecosystems project (ECOFAC), a regional conservation project, and another project set up by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

The IUCN and the Dutch development organisation SNV/Organisatie voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking, both active in the region, consider road maintenance to be beneficial for the conservation programmes in this sector. Well-maintained roads facilitate inspections in the region and may also provide extra income in the form of eco-

tourism. They also believe that the majority of the local population, including the Baka, is in favour of maintaining the existing road infrastructure.

The Commission plans to finance an in-depth study of forestry policy in Cameroon. This study is intended to help the Government of Cameroon to draft and implement a sustainable forestry policy.