§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government are giving to those countries affected by the cyanide contamination of the Danube. [111972]
§ Mr. VazWe have followed with concern reports of the pollution in the Danube caused by a serious spill of cyanide-contaminated water from a gold mine in Western Romania. There is no UK involvement in this disaster nor have we provided any assistance directly to those countries affected. We support the EU initiative in calling for an investigation into the causes of this pollution. We also support the EU principle that the polluter should pay.
The European Commission has confirmed that it will provide some practical assistance. The EU Commissioner for the environment, Margot Wallstroem, visited the region in February to assess the damage and what help might be offered. The EU is to set up a working committee of international experts and is ready to send experts to the region to help if necessary. No decision has yet been taken on financial assistance.