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The Bulgarian mobile operators will keep the public informed about the safety of their facilities

VIVACOM, GLOBUL and M-Tel submitted to the Council of Ministers a common communication strategy for raising public awareness of the operation of base stations and the best European and world practices.

The main tasks the operators set themselves by adopting the strategy include providing detailed and objective information about the building and operation of base stations, ensuring transparency in performing technical operations, coordination and partnership with the state administration, universities, NGOs and international organizations.

Prepared in keeping with a recommendation by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, the strategy for clear and detailed communication includes a large-scale awareness campaign that will run until the end of 2011.

Expected to absorb a total of BGN 200,000, the campaign will include information workshops for local government representatives with the participation of the competent state institutions, control bodies, Bulgarian and international experts and the three mobile operators. Such workshops will be held in five pilot cities: Sofia, Plovdiv, Burgas, Varna and Veliko Tarnovo.

Electromagnetic radiation will be measured at randomly chosen base stations located in close proximity of residential buildings, kindergartens, hospitals and schools in several cities. This will be done by the competent authorities in the presence of the news media and members of the public.

The three operators will help prepare and distribute brochures with detailed information about the principles of operation of the mobile networks and the effective standards for electromagnetic emissions. These will be written in a language that is easy to understand for the wide readership. Public meetings will be held with representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. The campaign activities also include opinion polls, discussions and hearings of Bulgarian and international experts.

A website will be designed to offer comprehensive information about electromagnetic fields and regular updates on the implementation of the communication strategy.

Bulgaria has enforced very strict standards on electromagnetic radiation and the limits are 45 to 100 times tighter than the WHO-prescribed levels adopted by most EU Member States.

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