Switzerland-wide moratorium on 5G expansion from the final table
After the Council of States, the National Council is now also issuing a Switzerland-wide moratorium on 5G.
the essentials in brief
- Parliament voted against a moratorium on 5G expansion in Switzerland.
- The professional initiatives of the cantons of Geneva, Neuchâtel and Jura on the subject were rejected.
- The moratorium would have existed until the burden on the population had been clarified.
The Federal Parliament is against a moratorium on 5G technology in Switzerland. After the Council of States, the National Council also rejected three corresponding cantonal initiatives from the cantons of Geneva, Neuchâtel and Jura on Wednesday.
The large chamber followed the request of its Commission for Transport and Telecommunications (KVF-N) without objection. The Council of States had already rejected the cantonal initiatives in the winter session, so they are off the table.
Geneva, Neuchâtel and the Jura are calling for a Switzerland-wide moratorium on the use of 5G. This should apply until a Switzerland-wide overview of the exposure of the population is available. This is an effective expansion step that goes beyond simply installing 5G antennas.
Stand initiatives provide for a prevention campaign
The professional initiatives also demand the introduction of a national radio wave register. The requirements should also be taken into account by the cantons when planning radio coverage. It was also planned to carry out a campaign to prevent mobile phone radiation.
The preliminary advisory commission was of the opinion that the accompanying measures taken by the Federal Council were sufficient for the further expansion of mobile communications. In addition, the postulate accepted by the Council of States also takes into account the concerns about millimeter waves on several occasions.
The small chamber commissioned the Federal Council to explain how it intends to ensure broad support for decisions on the subject of 5G.
The Federal Council must also explain how it intends to take into account research results on the effects of electromagnetic radiation on humans and nature. It is intended to make it clear how the population will be informed about 5G technology in the future.
The background is a technical innovation: Adaptive antennas are used in the fifth generation of mobile communications (5G). They are able to tend to focus the signal in the direction of the user or the mobile device. The conventional mobile phone antennas previously used in Switzerland, on the other hand, always transmit with the same spatial radiation.
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