WRITTEN QUESTION E-2901/02 by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Studies of damage to health caused by pulsed frequencies.
Date: 2002-10-16
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, electromagnetic interference, medical research, mobile phone, non-ionising radiation, public health, research programme

C 161 E/52

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

10.7.2003

What is the EU doing to reduce tobacco smuggling?

What does the Commission see as being the tobacco industry’s role in tobacco smuggling? Does the
Commission agree with the WTO that the tobacco industry is encouraging the continuation of smuggling?

Answer given by Mrs Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(3 December 2002)

It is impossible to state how many illegal cigarettes are sold in the Union each year. However, the
Commission is able to provide figures for recent years of the seizure of cigarettes smuggled into the Union,
which were obtained from customs authorities in the Member States. This may give an indication of the
problem, given that the customs authorities of the Member States are unable to detect and seize all
cigarettes smuggled into their territories. For the same reasons, it is impossible to state how many illegal
cigarettes are sold in Belgium each year. However, the Commission is able to provide figures for recent
years of the seizure of cigarettes smuggled into Belgium. These figures are being sent direct to the
Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat.

In an attempt to reduce tobacco smuggling, the Community, along with the Member States, created a Task
Group Cigarettes in 1995. At present, the Task Group is comprised of ten full time officials at the
European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), as well as officials in the relevant services of all of the Member States.
The Community and ten Member States also commenced a legal action in November 2000 in a United
States Federal Court against three cigarette manufacturers for, inter alia, smuggling of cigarettes into the
Union. The Community, through OLAF, has also developed strong ties with authorities in the applicant
countries in its fight against cigarette smuggling.

The Commission, along with the Member States, is currently in the process of negotiating an International
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control under the auspices of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
One of the issues to be included in the Convention is defining measures to combat illicit trade in tobacco
products. It is essential to address this issue also in the context of a global tobacco control convention.

(2003/C 161 E/055)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2901/02

by Hiltrud Breyer (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(16 October 2002)

Subject: Studies of damage to health caused by pulsed frequencies

Fears amongst the general public regarding health hazards arising from exposure to electromagnetic fields
have again increased of late, partly because of public statements of opinion by recognised scientific experts
or institutions. They have pointed out, inter alia, that damage to health particularly results from pulsed
radiation.

I know that the Commission provides funding for research into the impact of electromagnetic fields on
human health.

Can the Commission answer the following:

1. To whom has it awarded research contracts?

2. What specific issues are being investigated as a result?

3. What progress has been made with the projects concerned?

4.

Is there also a project concerned with the further development of mobile telephony systems which use
non-pulsed radiation (e.g. the German C+network)?

10.7.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 161 E/53

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(13 December 2002)

(EMF),

The Commission is supporting under the 5th Framework Programme, (5FP) (Quality of Life, Key Action 4:
Environment and Health), a mix of studies in different research areas in order to evaluate potential adverse
health effect of electromagnetic fields
including mobile communication technologies. This
programme includes different types of studies in order to investigate distinct aspects of the problem. The
total cost of the projects involved is more than EUR 32 million, with a Community contribution of over
EUR 12 million. Included are four projects dealing with the possible carcinogenic effects of EMF, one
project on terahertz radiation related to medical imaging applications, and further projects on possible
effects on nervous tissue and on possible cognitive effects. None of these projects addresses mobile
telephony systems using non-pulsed radiation (cf. Sub-question 4). In response to sub-questions 1 and 2, a
list of projects and coordinators is sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat.
More detailed information on these projects can be found from http://dbs.cordis.lu/search/en/simple/
EN_PROJ_simple.html. In addition, the Commission supports the coordination of national research related
to health effects from mobile phones under the COST 281 Action (‘Potential Health Implications from
Mobile Communications Systems’).

So far, only one of the eight projects supported under Quality of Life Programme has been completed:
development of advice to the Commission on risk to health of the general public from the use of security
and similar devices employing pulsed electromagnetic fields (Advice Pulsed Fields). According to this study,
electromagnetic interference (EMI) with implanted medical devices does not pose a public health threat, but
nevertheless needs to be further addressed by medical device and security system industries together.

it

As regards mobile phones,
is a large-scale
epidemiological project involving 13 countries inside and outside Europe. The objective of the study is to
determine whether mobile telephone use increases the risk of cancer and, specifically, whether the radio
frequency (RF) radiation emitted by mobile telephones is carcinogenic. When the project results become
available in 2004-2005, consolidated conclusions can be drawn.

the Interphone project

to notice that

is important

It is true that experiments in vitro on cells have sometimes shown biological effects. Nevertheless, even
though the biological effects of EMF exposure have been under study for the past 30-40 years, no
consensus has been reached with respect to either findings or their interpretation whether or not EMF
constitute a risk to the health of people. As long as the induction of adverse effects in living cells by EMF
at the molecular, sub-cellular and cellular level is not proven, it is questionable whether a causal link
between EMF exposure and any disease exists as suggested by various epidemiological studies.

The Commission is following closely any new scientific results in the domain to react if necessary to any
new scientific evidence not taken to date into consideration. So far it has not been established that
exposure to electromagnetic fields for cordless and mobile telephones is potentially harmful to the nervous
and hormone system. Once finalised (2003-2005), the projects supported by the Community should
provide an important input to our knowledge gap and also contribute to the related activities of the World
Health Organisation (WHO).

(2003/C 161 E/056)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2927/02

by Paulo Casaca (PSE) to the Commission

(10 October 2002)

Subject: Conflicts of interest in Community contracts

According to the ‘European Voice’ on 26 September and 3 October the Commission has concluded a
contract worth EUR 23 million with a Franco-Belgian company called ‘ASCII’ in the IT sphere.