Assessment of biological and health impact of 5G

Question for written answer P-001526/2019 to the Commission

Rule 130

Michèle Rivasi (Verts/ALE)

Subject:      Assessment of biological and health impact of 5G

The Commission is keen to bring forward as much as possible the full launch of 5G in Europe. Its plan involves a coordinated release schedule for the whole of the EU. The schedule provides for a commercial launch in 2020, in addition to national roadmaps for 5G rollout, with an early rollout in at least one city per Member State in 2018. The Commission is supporting these goals with the 5G Infrastructure Public Private Partnership project (5G PPP), under the umbrella of the Horizon 2020 research programme. The 5G PPP is the world’s largest project of its kind, with EUR 700 million in EU funding.

The rollout of 5G will expose people to increased microwave and radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation. A Belgian authority has pointed to new, higher volumes of data transmission. Germany’s Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) has stated that significantly higher data transmission volumes, new and additional transmitters and higher frequencies, could alter radiation intensities.

All research and innovation activities carried out under Horizon 2020 must comply with ethical standards, including the requirement to ensure high levels of protection of human health.

Will the 5G PPP fund any study on the biological impact of 5G radiation?

Will the Commission conduct any prior impact assessment on the launching of 5G in the EU, in particular as regards human health?

Could it explain how an impact assessment would be conducted, or if one has already taken place, could it provide details on how it was done?

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