WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4067/97 by Gianfranco DELL'ALBA to the Commission. Resumption of cooperation with the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Date: 1997-12-15
Institutions: DELL'ALBA, European Parliament
Subjects: Democratic Republic of the Congo, EU programme, human rights, humanitarian aid, intergovernmental cooperation (EU), poverty

8. 6. 98

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 174/161

(98/C 174/239)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-4067/97

by Gianfranco Dell(cid:146)Alba (ARE) to the Commission

(15 December 1997)

Subject: Resumption of cooperation with the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Can the Commission explain why it has apparently decided, on the fringe of the (cid:145)Amis du Congo(cid:146) meeting held
in  Brussels  on  3  and  4  December  at  the  initiative  of  the  World  Bank,  to  unblock  an  amount  of  aid  totalling
ECU  77  million  to  the  Democratic  Republic  of  the  Congo?  This  appears  to  be  the  first  step  towards  total
resumption of European Union aid to Kinshasa, although the Union(cid:146)s Institutions, most recently Parliament on
23 October 1997 and before that the General Affairs Council of 15 September 1997, have repeatedly expressed
their concern at the human rights situation in the country and demanded that unhindered progress of the United
Nations  mission  of  inquiry  into  allegations  of  massacres  and  other  human  rights  violations  since  1993  be
considered an essential precondition for any resumption of cooperation with the DRC.

Does the Commission consider, for example, that the many obstacles recently placed in the way of this mission
of inquiry, which has been held up for more than six months, constitute the sufficient progress referred to by the
Council three months ago as a condition for the gradual resumption of EU cooperation with the DRC?

Answer given by Mr Pinheiro on behalf of the Commission

(19 January 1998)

The  Commission  announced,  on  the  fringe  of  the  recent  (cid:145)Amis  du  Congo(cid:146)  meeting  that  it  would  resume  its
provisional  health  support  programme  (PATS  II)  for  ECU  45  million  and  release  a  first  instalment  of
ECU 34 million for the rehabilitation programme (PAR). PATS II is the second phase of a health programme
under way since 1995 to assist the poorest sections of the population. The purpose of the first PAR instalment is
to  re-establish  the  road  network  around  Kinshasa  in  order  to  ensure  food  security  for  the  capital  and  allow
peasants to sell their products there to earn a minimum income.

The two programmes bridge the gap between humanitarian aid and rehabilitation, and they are part of measures
to  combat  poverty.  They  are  being  implemented  either  by  non-governmental  organisations  or  through  direct
contracts between the Commission and local businesses, making it possible to start up the programmes rapidly.
At this stage, therefore, cooperation with Government institutions, which has been suspended since 1992, has not
been resumed.

The Commission has begun a constructive dialogue with the Congo Government and the announcement of the
two programmes is seen as a response to the positive steps taken by the Kinshasa authorities, in particular the
(cid:145)green  light(cid:146)  given  to  United  Nations  human  rights  mission(cid:146)s  inquiry,  the  appointment  of  a  constitutional
committee and the constructive attitude of the Congo delegation at the (cid:145)Amis du Congo(cid:146) meeting.

The Commission is aware that there are still many human rights problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC) and that setting up the constitutional committee is only a tentative step towards resuming the process of
transition to democracy. Nevertheless, these problems must be viewed in the context of the critical situation in
the  country:  the  total  dilapidation  of  infrastructures,  the  crushing  weight  of  foreign  debt,  the  extremely
precarious  economic  and  social  situation,  the  fact  that  certain  provinces  are  still  unsettled  and  dangerous,
regional rivalry and ideological splits within the leadership. In the light of the enormous challenges facing the
new Government, the abovementioned political measures which it has taken deserve to be recognised as steps in
the right direction and encouraged by partners outside the DRC. The announcement of the resumption of the two
programmes by the Commission thus fits in with principle of gradual and conditional resumption of cooperation
with Congo approved by the General Affairs Council of 15 September 1997.