Question for written answer E-004172/2018 to the Commission Rule 130 Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD)

Subject: Drilling in the Virunga and Salonga national parks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

The Virunga and Salonga national parks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are Unesco natural World Heritage Sites.

The Virunga national park (7 800 km2) is home to half the global population of mountain gorillas, which are a critically endangered species.

The Salonga national park (36 000 km²) is the world’s second-largest rainforest.

On 8 June, the DRC Government approved the setting up of the Inter-institutional Committee on the Economy, Finance and Reconstruction (ECOFIRE) to consider declassification of 1 720.75 km² of the Virunga national park and 2 767.5 km² of the Salonga national park as protected areas and change their status to areas where drilling for oil is permissible.

The Commission has allocated EUR 30 million since 1988 to biodiversity conservation in the DRC, with approximately one third of this going to support the Virunga national park, of which the EU is the chief institutional donor. During the period 2014-2020, the DRC will receive EUR 703 million to combat poverty in the country1.

Drilling is incompatible with protecting biodiversity and improving the financial situation of the local population. In view of this:

1) What tangible results has the EU’s funding achieved? 2) What legal mechanisms will be employed to stop EU resources being wasted? 3) What safeguards will be put in place during negotiations on the new EU-ACP partnership in order to protect the EU public’s investment and ensure the ‘protect the environment’ priority is achieved?

1 National Indicative Programme for the Democratic Republic of Congo https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/countries/congo-democratic-republic_en

1160132.EN PE 625.976