WRITTEN QUESTION P-0646/04 by Mario Mauro (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Massacre in Lira (northern Uganda).
Date: 2004-02-26
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: ECHO, EU relations, Uganda, aid policy, development aid, public safety, settlement of disputes

C 84 E/646

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

(2004/C 84 E/0727)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0643/04

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(3 March 2004)

Subject: Update on suspected infringement of the rules on public contracts by ATAC in Rome

Regarding Written Question P-3323/03 (1) requesting clarification of a possible infringement of the rules
on public contracts by ATAC in Rome, the Commission replied, on 27 November 2003, that it would
make the necessary checks ‘to ascertain whether ATAC complied with Community rules and principles on
public procurement in the case in question’.

Can the Commission indicate whether these checks have been made and, if they have been completed,
what the findings of these were?

(1) OJ C 78 E, 27.3.2004.

Answer given by Mr Bolkestein on behalf of the Commission

(16 April 2004)

Further to Written Question E-3323/03 from the Honourable Member, the Commission asked the Italian
authorities, in a letter dated 8 December 2003, to provide information on the procedures used by ATAC
in Rome for the award of the public procurement contracts which were the subject of that Written
Question and to submit all relevant documentation.

A reply from the Italian authorities was received only at the beginning of March 2004. The Commission is
in the process of examining certain aspects of that reply and is still waiting to receive all the relevant
documents; this material should allow the Commission to make a final assessment on the compatibility of
the procedures in question with Community law on public procurement.

(2004/C 84 E/0728)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0646/04

by Mario Mauro (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(26 February 2004)

Subject: Massacre in Lira (northern Uganda)

On Saturday, 21 February 2004, in a refugee camp in Lira, the capital of a district in northern Uganda,
a massacre occurred in which at least 220 people were killed. Rebels belonging to the ‘Lord’s Resistance
Army’ (LRA) set fire to hundreds of huts and fired on unarmed civilians. It is believed that the Uganda
military bear a large part of the responsibility thanks to their failure to protect civilians.

Can the Commission state what action it intends to take to put an end to this situation in northern
Uganda?

Can it state what role it is playing in democratisation in Uganda?

What is the Commission’s present strategy for economic and social development in Uganda?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(30 March 2004)

like other donors represented in Uganda,

The Commission,
is deeply disturbed by the alarming
humanitarian situation in northern Uganda and in particular by the recent atrocities committed against
civilians in Lira district. The ‘Donor Group on Northern Uganda, Amnesty and Recovery from Conflict’,
which is chaired by the Head of the Commission Delegation in Uganda, handed over a statement to the
Ugandan Parliament on 27 February 2004, in which the attack on the Barlonyo camp by the LRA, was

3.4.2004

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/647

condemned in the strongest terms. The Government of Uganda was urged (cid:1) once again (cid:1) to explore all
avenues to resolve the conflict in northern Uganda, including creating a climate in which a negotiated
solution could be found. The Group also condemned the recent inter-ethnic clashes between Langi and
Acholi people, which, if not contained, could lead to a further escalation of an already dramatic situation.

The Commission stresses that it is in the first place the responsibility of the Government and Army of
Uganda to protect civilians from the vicious attacks of the Lord’s Resistance Army, as well as to ensure
that military operations are conducted in accordance with universally recognised principles for the
protection of civilians in war zones. However, the Commission also believes that the Government of
Uganda should acknowledge the limits of an exclusively military strategy, and to seek other, alternative
measures of resolving the conflict. The Donor Group has expressed its willingness to assist in meaningful
attempts to find a non-military solution, and the Commission has repeatedly discussed various options
with the Presidential Peace Team as well as civil society leaders in Acholiland. Unfortunately, the lack of a
clear strategy on the Government side, as well as the absence of a response from the LRA leadership to
calls for a negotiated settlement, have thus far thwarted all such efforts.

if and when security conditions allow for medium-term interventions.

Nevertheless, the Commission stands ready to provide assistance for the social and economic rehabilitation
of northern Uganda,
In the
meantime, the Commission has provided substantial humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of those
affected by the conflict. Following a Parliament Resolution of 2003 (1), in which the humanitarian aid
office of the European Commission (ECHO) was asked to step up assistance to northern Uganda, ECHO
did so, quadrupling its overall funding in 2003 to EUR 8 million. ECHO covered the following number of
beneficiaries in various sectors: health and nutrition (883 000),
food security (425 000), water and
sanitation (1 100 000), non-food items (730 000) and former child soldier rehabilitation (1,400).

In 2004, ECHO is focusing on health and nutrition, food security, water and sanitation, non-food items, as
well as protection (land-mine awareness), child-soldier rehabilitation and childhood education in a
displaced environment. Support for coordination of humanitarian operators’ activities in the affected areas
is also a priority.

Concerning the process of democratisation in Uganda, the Commission follows with interest, and with a
certain degree of concern, the ongoing constitutional review as well as the political dialogue between the
Government of Uganda and a group of opposition parties. These issues are addressed in the political
dialogue under Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement with the Government of Uganda and other relevant
political actors with a view to encouraging them to resolve the existing differences through transparent
dialogue and negotiation, as well as through free and fair electoral competition.

The Commission’s strategy for economic and social development in Uganda is outlined in the Country
Strategy Paper jointly developed by the Government of Uganda and the Commission. It is designed to
assist in sectors that are considered essential for the future of the country, notably macro-economic
support and economic reform, transport and rural development. Assistance in these focal sectors will be
complemented by capacity building for governance and civil society.

To increase the poverty eradication impact of donor support, the Commission is working closely with
other donors in the framework of the Government’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan and the Plan for the
Modernisation of Agriculture. Furthermore,
the Commission will support Uganda in carrying out
negotiations in a regional context on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) as well as in
implementing the accompanying trade policy and structural reforms. This includes capacity building in
the area of trade policy that, ‘inter alia’, will allow Uganda to take advantage of enhanced market access
under the EPA as well as under the ‘Everything but Arms’ (EBA) initiative.

(1) European

Parliament

http://www3.europarl.eu.int/omk/omnsapir.so/
pv2?PRG=DOCPV&APP=PV2&LANGUE=EN&SDOCTA=22&TXTLST=1&POS=1&Type_Doc=RESOL&TPV=DEF&D-
ATE=030703&PrgPrev=PRG@TITRE|APP@PV2|TYPEF@TITRE|YEAR@03|Find@%55%67%61%6e%64%61|FILE@BIB-
LIO03|PLAGE@1&TYPEF=TITRE&NUMB=1&DATEF=030703

Resolution

3.7.2003:

adopted