River Danube (Hansard, 5 July 2000)

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, the target date for the opening of a fully navigable channel at Novi Sad is spring 2001. Some vessels already navigate along canals and Danube tributaries which bypass Novi Sad.

§ Lord Hylton
My Lords, I very much welcome the noble Baroness's reply if only because of the very serious losses that the obstructions have caused to the economies of countries such as Romania and Bulgaria. Did I hear the noble Baroness correctly in saying that some transhipment of goods is at the moment possible?

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, the noble Lord is quite right: a certain amount of transhipment is possible. Obviously larger vessels encounter the greatest difficulties, but smaller vessels are able to get through. The situation is improving. We hope that the clearing of the Danube, a task which is now being pursued with some energy, will greatly help matters in the area.

Lord Grenfell
My Lords, I, too, am grateful to my noble friend for that reassuring information. Additional to the issue of the navigability of the Danube is the continuing plight of the 350,000 citizens of Novi Sad, who are forced to use a single very inadequate pontoon bridge in order to get about the city. That bridge is all that now stands in place of the three major bridges that were destroyed. Will my noble friend bear in mind the ironic fact that the region of Vojvodina, in which the city of Novi Sad lies, is governed by political parties which have long been bitterly opposed to Milosevic, as indeed are the people of Novi Sad? Those people have been asking for how much longer they will have to pay such a high price for the policies of a man whom they intensely dislike.

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, I understand the sentiments expressed by my noble friend. We hope that the people of Serbia will come to the right decision as regards what is in their best interests. We also hope that the clearance of the Danube will do much to make matters a little easier for the people of Novi Sad.

§ Baroness Williams of Crosby
My Lords, can the Minister tell the House, first, why the canals situated mainly inside the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are subject to such very high tolls and charges, thus making it much more difficult to bypass Novi Sad? Secondly, as regards a broader issue, can she indicate how rapidly the development of the Balkan economic stability pact is progressing, of which, obviously, the Danube river system is an absolutely crucial element?

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, I cannot give the noble Baroness a specific answer in relation to her first question. I hope that she will allow me to write to her on that matter. As regards the Balkan economic stability pact, that pact is now yielding a great deal of beneficial help and assistance. As a result, considerable support has already been made available both bilaterally and multilaterally for the countries of the region. This has been intensified since the end of the NATO air campaign. The UK is an active supporter of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe, which has the potential to bring many benefits to the region and to act as a clearing house both for existing sources of assistance and for new ideas and initiatives. The UK continues to provide considerable support through the bilateral assistance programme. The Department for International Development's country programmes for Rumania and Bulgaria have been enlarged since the end of the conflict. Some £6 million has been made available for Rumania, along with £4 million for Bulgaria. We continue to provide bilateral assistance to Hungary of the order of £2.5 million per annum. We are a major contributor to the EU programme for all the accession countries. Matters are progressing as swiftly as we could reasonably anticipate at this point.

Lord Berkeley
My Lords, can my noble friend explain to the House why it is taking so long to clear a few bridges out of a river? Speaking as a civil engineer, I can confirm that the European civil engineering industry would be quite capable of undertaking this task far more quickly than the timetable that has been indicated—and could probably also build a new bridge. Is this a political problem or is this a matter of lack of resources?

§ Baroness Scotland of Asthal
My Lords, I can confirm that neither of the two suggestions made by my noble friend have been the source of the problem in the area. I wish that the noble Lord was right; namely, that the clearing of the Danube would be as easy as he suggests. However, it has been a difficult process, although we have made great strides forward. Her Majesty's Government have been at the forefront of those pressing for progress and ensuring that the job is done. Furthermore, the European Union has committed 22 million euros to the initiative. We hope that the work will be completed as speedily as possible. We understand the urgency and thus we are trying to push forward the agenda as quickly as possible.