WRITTEN QUESTION E-1355/01 by María Sornosa Martínez (PSE) to the Commission. Electromagnetic pollution.
Date: 2001-05-07
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: electromagnetic interference, environmental risk prevention, health risk, product safety, public health, radio telecommunications, safety standard

11.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 350 E/131

(2001/C 350 E/141)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1351/01

by Richard Corbett (PSE) to the Commission

(7 May 2001)

Subject: Seveso II Directive

On how many occasions in the last 50 years has an accident on a chemical site resulted in deaths outside
the site?

Answer given by Mrs Wallstr(cid:246)m on behalf of the Commission

(10 July 2001)

Since the entry into force of the previous and existing Community legislation on chemical accident
prevention, preparedness and response (so-called Seveso I and II Directives, Council Directive 82/501/EEC
of 24 June 1982 on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities (1) and Council Directive 96/
82/EC of 9 December 1996 on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances (2)),
the number of deaths that occurred outside sites covered by the legislation and reported to the
Commission by the Member States is five.

(1) OJ L 230, 5.8.1982.
(2) OJ L 10, 14.1.1997.

(2001/C 350 E/142)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1355/01

by Mar(cid:237)a Sornosa Mart(cid:237)nez (PSE) to the Commission

(7 May 2001)

Subject: Electromagnetic pollution

In 1999 the Commission, aware of growing public concern at electromagnetic pollution and the lack of
legal provisions on the subject, decided to propose Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC (1) on the
limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0 Hz to 300 GHz).

Since then, both the rapid spread of mobile telephone masts and the publication of numerous studies on
their harmful effects on the environment and health are adding to public concern throughout the EU.

Spain, a country which already has more than 22 000 mobile phone base stations, provides a vivid
example of the current lack of legal provisions and the inadequacy of the Council Recommendation on
electromagnetic pollution. In the absence of an adequate legislative reference framework, many local
councils are opting to adopt municipal orders restricting and regulating the installation of such
infrastructure and also taking account of aspects relating to the non-thermal effects of this type of
pollution. Moreover, the central government is restricting itself to drawing up a royal decree (future
Regulation-Law 11/98) which is to include some of the criteria set out in Recommendation 1999/519/EC.

In Spain, this has produced the paradoxical situation whereby some residents have mobile phone masts
located slightly more than six metres away from their homes, which ensures that they are protected from
possible thermal effects of electromagnetic pollution but not against its non-thermal effects, a situation
which has already been the subject of complaints by people affected in the courts of Valencia, Murcia and
Gij(cid:243)n.

The example provided by the experience of Spanish local councils demonstrates the need to standardise
legislation and to go further in curbing electromagnetic pollution, which must not be seen solely in terms
of its thermal effects.

C 350 E/132

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

11.12.2001

Would the Commission be prepared to submit a proposal for a directive on electromagnetic pollution
which would go beyond the substance of the 1999 Recommendation and include the necessary measures
to protect the environment and human health, laying down criteria and limits to reduce or, wherever
possible, eliminate such pollution?

(1) OJ L 199, 30.7.1999, p. 59.

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(3 July 2001)

As mentioned by the Honourable Member in her question, on 12 July 1999 the Council adopted
Recommendation 1999/519/EC on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic
fields (0 Hz to 300 GHz) including the transmission frequencies used by mobile telephone systems.

In the face of the very rapid development of these systems and the fears to which they give rise in terms of
the health of exposed people, the Commission has decided to take all the necessary precautionary
measures. It has therefore asked the Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment,
attached to the Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection, to reexamine the matter and
deliver, in autumn 2001, a new scientific opinion on the risks to human health caused by exposure and on
adequate protective measures.

The Commission will take any action it considers necessary in the light of the report(cid:146)s conclusions.

The attention of the Honourable Member is further drawn to Community legislation on ensuring that
products such as base stations and mobile phones are safe. In order to comply with this legislation
(Directive 1999/5/EC of the Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and
telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity (1) and Council
Directive 73/23/EEC of 19 February 1973 on the harmonisation of the laws of Member States relating to
electrical equipment designed for use within certain voltage limits (2)) manufacturers need to ensure that
products comply with strict safety standards following the latest scientific advice such as laid down in the
Council Recommendation.

(1) OJ L 91, 7.4.1999.
(2) OJ L 77, 26.3.1973.

(2001/C 350 E/143)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1356/01

by Vitaliano Gemelli (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(7 May 2001)

Subject: Discrimination against Italian citizens on the basis of linguistic ability

With reference to a letter sent to me by Mr Marco Meneghini on 18 March 2001, I should like to know
whether or not the contents of that letter correspond to reality.

Job advertisements have appeared in certain European newspapers to fill posts in the Socrates and
Leonardo offices and the Youth Office in Brussels, all of which are financed by the Commission. However,
those job offers seem to be aimed principally at people with a perfect command of French or English.

Would the Commission say (cid:129) once spot checks have been carried out (cid:129) whether or not the state of
affairs described above is an accurate reflection of reality and whether or not it constitutes discrimination
based on language or nationality, which is specifically banned under Belgian legislation designed to combat
racism and under Article 211 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights?