WRITTEN QUESTION E-3042/03 by Bill Miller (PSE) to the Commission. Installation of telecommunications masts.
Date: 2003-10-17
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: electromagnetic interference, health risk, mobile phone, standardisation, telecommunications equipment

3.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 84 E/499

However, Member States are not free to take any measure they want. The measures have to be consistent
with Community legislation and the principles of the Common Market. Member States are, for instance,
not allowed to contravene Article 22 a of Directive 2001/18/EC, which states that Member States may not
prohibit, restrict or impede the placing on the market of authorised GMOs.

Furthermore, in July 2003, the Commission produced a Recommendation on guidelines for co-existence (4)
in order to assist Member States in the development and implementation of appropriate measures. The ‘key
word’ for the proposed co-existence measures is proportionality, which means that the measures must be
proportionate with respect to the goal they are intended to achieve.

Consequently, the guidelines provide the necessary recommendations to address co-existence. In terms of
economic risk, the guidelines provide the principles on which Member States and their regions can operate
in terms of national measures and include an indicative list of management measures which, depending on
local or regional factors, could be implemented. These measures include, for example, isolation distances
between fields, buffer zones or pollen barriers, crop rotation and planting arrangements for different
flowering periods, etc.

The Commission has no objection to voluntary local arrangements between farmers and between farmers
and the industry to ensure the absence of GM crops. Co-existence is not a new issue in agriculture and
farmers have ample experience with the implementation of farm management practices to ensure purity
standards in seed production or to segregate agricultural production lines. Specific varieties of crops, which
deliver ‘quality traits’ are grown for example under voluntary arrangements between adjacent farmers and
contractual requirements.

This constitutes the ‘viable response’
Environment referred to on 2 September 2003.

to which the Member of

the Commission responsible for

(1) COM(2003) 96 final.
(2) OJ L 106, 17.4.2001.
(3) OJ C 304 E, 30.10.2001.
(4) OJ L 189, 29.7.2003.

(2004/C 84 E/0577)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3042/03

by Bill Miller (PSE) to the Commission

(17 October 2003)

Subject: Installation of telecommunications masts

The rapid expansion in telecommunications has created a greater need for masts. Has the European
Commission issued any guidelines on the siting of such masts, given the heightened awareness of the
possible health risks? If not, is the European Commission aware of any guidelines issued by Member
States?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(11 November 2003)

The siting of mobile phone masts is an issue, which as mentioned by the Honourable Member, is giving
rise to further public concern. The Commission has already received several parliamentary questions on
this topic (e.g. E-1155/03 by Mr Mauro and Mr Gargani (1), E-2821/02 by Mr Maaten (2), E-2900/02 by
Mrs Breyer (3) and E-2901/02 by Mrs Breyer (4)).

C 84 E/500

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

3.4.2004

On 12 July 1999 the Council adopted Recommendation 1999/519/EEC to Member States limiting the
exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields from 0 Herz (Hz) to 300 Gigaherz (Ghz) (5).
Full adherence to the basic restrictions and reference levels included in the Recommendation ensures that
users are provided with a high level of protection against both acute and long-term effects of non-ionising
radiation across the whole spectrum. The limits recommended include a safety factor of 50 to cover
possible long-term effects across the entire frequency range and also aims to protect against, as yet, non-
documented non-thermal effects.

The opinion of the Scientific Committee on Toxicology-Ecotoxicity and the Environment on health effects
associated to the exposure to electromagnetic fields published on 30 October 2001 has confirmed the
validity of the Council Recommendation limits for radio frequencies and microwaves. This opinion is also
in line with other national and international assessments of the scientific literature in this area.

The public perception of the risks posed by masts is at odds with measured exposure levels. The extremely
rapid deployment of mobile networks over the last years, in many cases without consultation of the public,
seems to be the main reason for this.

Measurements performed in various Member States, have demonstrated that the level to which the public
is exposed is below the values recommended by the Council (normally by a factor of 100 to 100 000).
In general the safety zone around masts is in the order of 4 (for a typical low power urban area base
station) to 10 (rural area high power base station) metres in the horizontal direction and less than a metre
in the vertical direction. Under normal circumstances the distance to the public is much larger. Exposure
drops with the square of the distance, which explains the low exposure levels measured in practice.
Exposure levels of mobile phones and for instance those close to broadcast transmitters, many of which
have been in operation for many years are much higher.

The Commission is aware of local siting regulations in some Member States, which prescribe so-called
‘safety distances’ of 500 metre (m) and above. From the above one can conclude that these regulations are
not based on scientific reasoning. Most Member States base their health regulations on the Council
Recommendation and require masts to comply with its limits.

The European Standardisation Organisations, under mandate from the Commission, draft Harmonised
European standards, which can be used to demonstrate that masts do not expose the public beyond the
limits recommended by the Council. The first of these standards (EN 50385) has already been given legal
effect within the framework of 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 (6), which obliges manufacturers to ensure that their products do not give rise to adverse effects
on health when used for their intended purpose. Further standards are under development and will
standardise methods to determine the zone around base stations, within which the recommended limits
would be exceeded and will standardise in-situ measurement methods.

Even though limits and standards are available, which to our best knowledge protect our citizens from
potential adverse health effects, the Commission is closely following and financing research in this area and
will react, if necessary, to any new scientific evidence not yet taken into consideration.

Based on the best scientific advice available, antennas for mobile communications, when installed to meet
the safety levels provided in the Council Recommendation, do not give rise to health problems.

(1) OJ C 301 E, 5.12.2002.
(2) OJ C 192 E, 14.8.2003, p. 77.
(3) OJ C 110 E, 8.5.2003.
(4) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 52.
(5) OJ L 199, 30.7.1999.
(6) OJ L 91, 7.4.1999.