(2004/C 84 E/0540)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0947/03

by Roberta Angelilli (UEN) to the Commission

(26 March 2003)

Subject:   Provisions enacted by the Italian Government with regard to electromagnetic pollution

September 2002 marked the entry into force in Italy of Legislative Decree No 198/2002 laying down provisions to accelerate the construction of the strategic telecommunications infrastructures for the modernisation and development of that country. The decree sets out the basic principles governing the installation of telecommunications infrastructures with the aim of liberalising the telecommunications market and making it competitive, rationalising authorisation procedures in line with the principles of efficiency, publicity, concentration and rapidity, ensuring respect for the environment and for health and pursuing quality targets.

The decree, which derives from Framework Law No 36/2001 on protection from exposure to electrical, magnetic and electromagnetic fields, is intended to resolve the controversial issue of the spatial distribution of telecommunications masts, which are primary sources of electromagnetic pollution and which until now have not been governed by any detailed or specific legislation. The decree therefore aims to promote technological development by simplifying installation authorisation procedures, while also setting out to protect the environment, human health and historical and artistic heritage by awarding each competent local authority powers of veto in the event of telecommunications operators failing to comply with the provisions safeguarding these assets. The decree also introduces a national register of electromagnetic sources of industrial origin, for systematic monitoring of the masts installed, with the aim of establishing hard and fast rules for curbing the installation of unauthorised masts, or in other words the possibility of operators installing masts as and where they like.

The limits on exposure to electromagnetic fields laid down in the legislation are the lowest in Europe and in the world (6 V/m for all wavelengths). However, the need to guarantee free market conditions under which operators can provide innovative services to citizens and users must also be borne in mind. In the light of the positive initial results of the electrosmog monitoring that the Ministry of Communications has recently launched in Italy, and in view of Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC (1) on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields and Commissioner Byrne's reply to my earlier question (E-2648/99 (2)) on pollution by electromagnetic waves,

Can the Commission indicate:

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(2 May 2003)

On 12 July 1999, the Council adopted Recommendation 1999/519/EC limiting the exposure of the general public to non-ionising radiation with a view to protecting human health in a frequency range of 0 Herz (Hz) to 300 Gigaherz (Ghz) which covers devices mentioned by the Honourable Member. These limits also ensure adequate protection of patients with medical implants.

The Scientific Committee on Toxicity-Ecotoxicity and the Environment confirmed on 30 November 2001 that: ‘the additional information which has become available on carcinogenic and other non-thermal effects of radio frequency and microwave radiation frequencies in the last years does not justify a revision of exposure limits set by the Commission’.

Following this advice the Commission does not intend to change these limits. In the context of reviewing the Council Recommendation, the Commission will prepare a report, by 2004, taking into account the reports of the Member States and the latest scientific data and advice. The Commission will react to any scientific risks not taken into consideration to date in the present set of recommended limits.

Recommendations differ from Directives: they are not binding. Nonetheless, Union Directives ensuring the internal market for products base themselves on the limits recommended by the Council. Under these Directives, notably the Low Voltage Directive (3) and the Radio and Telecommunication Terminal Equipment Directive (4) the Commission mandated the European Standardisation Organisations to draft safety standards for products, including installation and in-situ measurement standards. The aim of these standards is to ensure that, when installed for their intended purpose, the exposure of the public remains below the limits recommended by the Council. This leaves the task of the Member States to ensure that adequate health protection measures are taken which may include dismantling operations if estimated necessary by national or local authorities or exclusion zones in the vicinity of hospitals or schools. Such measures shouldn't, however, constitute a barrier to trade and thus not be counter to these Directives.

The Commission observes that, in response to concerns expressed by the public, there is pressure to dismantle or move GSM base stations, even in the absence of compelling scientific reasons to do so. Measurements in Member States, including Italy, have confirmed that exposure levels are in general orders of magnitude below recommended values, including the level in the Italian legislation. This level is a factor of 7 to 10 below that recommended by the Council and in practice has the effect of creating a marginally larger exclusion zone around a base station. These safety zones are normally between 5-10 metres in a vertical plane in front of an antenna and one metrer horizontal. Since exposure drops with the square of the distance, lowering the safety level will increase this zone by a factor of around 2,5 to 3,5.

(1)  OJ L 199, 30.7.1999, p. 59.

(2)  OJ C 280 E, 3.10.2000, p. 93.

(3)  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.

(4)  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, OJ L 91, 7.4.1999.