Question for written answer E-004111/2020 to the Commission Rule 138 Isabel Benjumea Benjumea (PPE), Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez (PPE), Rosa Estaràs Ferragut (PPE), Pilar del Castillo Vera (PPE), Pablo Arias Echeverría (PPE), François-Xavier Bellamy (PPE), Gabriel Mato (PPE), Leopoldo López Gil (PPE), Javier Zarzalejos (PPE), Antonio López- Istúriz White (PPE), Dolors Montserrat (PPE) Subject: Systematic terrorist attacks on civilians in Afghanistan On 12 May 2020, 25 people were killed in a jihadi terrorist attack on the maternity ward of the Dashte Barchi Hospital in Kabul. Sixteen mothers - five of them in labour - two children, a midwife and six other people lost their lives. As a result of the attack, Doctors Without Borders has announced its withdrawal from the region, given the risk of patients, health professionals and aid workers continuing to be targets of terrorist attacks. The closure of Dashte Barchi will leave 16 000 expectant mothers per year and a million other people without access to healthcare. The EU-Afghanistan Cooperation Agreement reflects a commitment to promoting peace, stability and security in the region and strengthening democracy, the rule of law and human rights. In the light of the systematic violation of human rights and attacks on Western values by terrorist groups, and the fragile and insecure state of civil society, we ask the following questions: 1. What steps does the Commission plan to take to improve the safety of European aid workers in Afghanistan and guarantee that they can continue their vital work? 2. Following the closure of Dashte Barchi’s maternity ward, what steps will it take to help mothers and children in Kabul, where the maternal and neonatal mortality rate continues to be one of the highest in the world? PE656.109v01-00.