WRITTEN QUESTION P-3452/01 by María Rodríguez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission. Electromagnetic pollution caused by mobile telephone base stations.
Date: 2001-12-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Castile-Leon, EU law - national law, cancer, competence of the Member States, educational institution, electromagnetic interference, public health, telecommunications equipment

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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Working together with the Council, the Commission then went on to lay down a methodology for
assessing the safety of nuclear plants in the candidate countries. This methodology enshrines a European
vision of nuclear safety, without going as far as to define European safety standards. The approach was
in May 2001 (9181/01) (1) which contained recom-
approved by a report adopted by the Council
mendations to the candidate countries. The seven candidate countries which have nuclear power plants
have accepted these recommendations, and a mechanism to monitor their implementation should be
operational as of January 2002.

As regards the question of indicators, the budget for the TACIS action programme for 2001 drawn up by
the Commission covered the following tasks:

- defining indicators;

- evaluating past programmes.

The preliminary study phase showed that:

- as regards improvements in the overall safety performance of nuclear power stations and, more
generally, of the whole nuclear safety system (legislation, effectiveness and independence of national
nuclear safety agencies, inspection arrangements, training and technical competence of the operator
and the safety agency, etc.), it is almost impossible to define specific indicators to determine the part
which the PHARE or Tacis programmes played in relation to other contributions (bilateral agreements,
the International Atomic Energy Agency (UN) (IAEA), and the beneficiaries’ own input). Only the
overall result can be assessed, independent of its origins;

- however, there are plans to analyse how far Tacis projects are consistent with those funded by other

donors, and how well they are integrated with national modernisation plans.

Thus, the lack of an acquis or general benchmarks on nuclear safety creates an obstacle to the definition of
indicators on specific improvements in nuclear safety in a beneficiary country. The request for the
Commission to introduce nuclear safety standards has to be seen in the light of the Council’s apparent
difficulties in endorsing and cooperating in their preparation. In its Report on Nuclear Safety in the
Context of Enlargement in June 2001 (9181/01/corr.) (1), the Council insisted that ‘this exercise does not
lead to any transfer of competencies from the Member States to the Community’. This suggests that the
issues raised in the Written Question could justifiably be addressed to the Council.

Nevertheless, with regard to the PHARE 2001 programme of Community support to candidate countries
in the field of nuclear safety, the Commission has scrutinised all projects to establish whether they provide
support to the beneficiary to meet the recommendations of the Council Report on Nuclear Safety in the
Context of Enlargement. This focus will be further refined on the basis of the monitoring mechanism to be
implemented under the Spanish Presidency that will evaluate the measures undertaken by the candidate
countries to implement the Council Report’s recommendations.

The preparation of indicators under the Tacis programme will, of course, also be of value to the evaluation
of PHARE-funded projects. In general, however, there is already no doubt that the nuclear safety situation
in PHARE beneficiary countries has significantly improved since the establishment of Community support
programmes in the field of this area in the early 1990s, and that these improvements have been in part a
consequence of PHARE-funded measures.

(1) http://register.consilium.eu.int/utfregister/frames/introshfsEN.htm.

(2002/C 160 E/151)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3452/01

by María Rodríguez Ramos (PSE) to the Commission

(6 December 2001)

Subject: Electromagnetic pollution caused by mobile telephone base stations

On 28 September Spain adopted a royal decree approving the regulation laying down conditions of
protection for the public radio domain. This regulation lays down exposure limits for radio emissions and

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is based on Council recommendation 1999/519 (1) on the limitation of exposure of the general public to
electromagnetic fields, which recommends that the Member States introduce a level of protection higher
than that set out in the recommendation and does not even introduce penalties for failure to comply with
the limited requirements it lays down. The absence of national regulation in Spain prior to the adoption of
this provision prompted many local authorities to resort to municipal by-laws in order to regulate the
installation of these infrastructures themselves, for want of an adequate legal framework.

In Valladolid (autonomous community of Castilla y Leon), the local authorities have authorised the setting
up of 8 telephone base stations with more than 30 masts emitting radio frequency radiation on the roof of
a building in the city centre next to a schoolyard, within 100 metres of classrooms.

Five of the nine cases of child cancer recorded in the city during 2001 occurred in children attending
schools located close to this building, including three in the school situated within 100 metres of the
masts. The proportion of children affected at the Garcia Quintana school is thus 100 times greater than
the usual incidence of this type of cancer in Spain (one in 10 000).

In the light of these alarming developments, the socialist group within the local authority has asked for the
operation of the mobile telephone base stations to be suspended as a precaution, a move opposed by the
local government unit concerned.

Does the Commission know whether any other Member State has such a large and unwarranted group of
stations emitting radio frequency radiation within 100 metres of a school?

Does it consider that the national authorities which are authorising and upholding the actions of the
Valladolid local authorities are abiding by the precautionary principle as regards the protection of public
health?

When will the Commission submit the report of the Scientific Committee on Toxicity on the risks of
electromagnetic exposure and the draft report extending the 1999 recommendation to safeguard the
public from pollution of this type?

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

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(28 January 2002)

The Honourable Member refers to Spain’s adoption of a royal decree approving measures to protect the
public from electromagnetic radiation.

The Commission would remind the Honourable Member that,
in accordance with the provisions of
Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC of 12 July 1999 on the limitation of exposure of the general
public to electromagnetic fields (0 Hz to 300 GHz) (1), it is up to Member States to implement a legislative
framework of
the Council
Recommendation of 12 July 1999 does not require Member States to adopt a more stringent regulatory
framework; instead, the text of the Recommendation states that: ‘Member States may, in accordance with
the Treaty, provide for a higher level of protection than that set out in this recommendation’.

this kind. Moreover, contrary to what

the Honourable Member says,

The Commission has not been informed of the existence of such concentrations of mobile telephone
installations in other Member States. It would remind the Honourable Member that monitoring the local
siting of transmission masts for mobile telephone systems is the exclusive responsibility of the Member
States’ authorities.

It is not for the Commission to say whether it is appropriate or valid for national authorities to introduce
stricter precautionary measures.

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The Spanish authorities have chosen to introduce the limits given in the Council Recommendation and to
impose on the operators of transmission masts an obligation to ensure that jointly they do not exceed the
limits contained in the Council Recommendation. This also applies to the case above.

In accordance with the Recommendation, Member States are required to report to the Commission within
three years of its adoption on measures taken to protect the public from the effects of non-ionising
radiation. These measures will be published by the Commission in an implementation report in 2002.

The limits set in the Recommendation were confirmed by the Commission’s Scientific Committee on
Toxicology, Ecotoxicology and the Environment in its new opinion on health risks associated with
exposure to electromagnetic fields. This was published on 30 November 2001 and is available on the
following website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph/programmes/pollution/ph_fields_index.html. The
report states that: ‘the additional information that has become available on carcinogenic and other non-
thermal effects of radiofrequency and microwave radiation frequencies in the last years does not justify a
revision of exposure limits set by the Commission on the basis of the conclusions of the 1998 opinion of
the Scientific Steering Committee’.

The Commission is providing some € 12,8 million to support research programmes (with a total value of
over € 32,5 million) on the potential effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on human health. This research
includes one specific project which covers aspects of possible health effects that might arise from the use
of mobile telecommunications systems. This four-year project has not yet reached the halfway point but,
as with other EMF-related research projects, coordination arrangements within the Commission have
recently been revised to ensure that research results will be disseminated widely as soon as they become
available.

the Honourable Member’s attention is drawn to the Directives

In addition,
regulating mobile
communication products. These Directives (73/23/EEC (2) and 1999/5/EC (3)) oblige manufacturers to
ensure that products are safe. Harmonised standards laid down in these Directives ensure that products
which comply with these Directives under normal conditions of use do not expose the public beyond the
limits given in the Council Recommendation (see http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/rtte).

(1) OJ L 199, 30.7.1999.
(2) 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 - OJ L 77, 26.3.1973.

(3) Directive 1999/5/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 1999 on radio equipment and
telecommunications terminal equipment and the mutual recognition of their conformity - OJ L 91, 7.4.1999.

(2002/C 160 E/152)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3454/01

by Emmanouil Bakopoulos (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(6 December 2001)

Subject: Aid for sheep and goats

What amount was paid from the Community budget in compensation for sheep and goats for the year
2000? What was the amount per animal? What is the amount of aid for eligible sheep and goats for 2001?
Were those funds given to the Greek authorities and, if so, when?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(15 January 2002)

During the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) Guarantee Section 2000
financial year, Greece effected and declared expenditure under sheep/goat aid totalling approximately
€ 227,25 million.