Petitioners pictured with Fernand Etgen, President of the Chamber of Deputies, and Nancy Arendt, CSV MP; Credit: Chambre des Députés

On Tuesday 6 October 2020, Members of Parliament (MPs) debated in the Chamber of Deputies a petition demanding the end of 5G deployment in Luxembourg.

The public petition calling for a definitive end to the deployment of 5G in Luxembourg received over 7,300 signatures, thus surpassing the 4,300 threshold needed for public debate. The petitioners' main goal was to "protect the current population and future generations against a new major health and economic crisis".

During the debate, one of the five petitioners claimed that there were no reliable international studies on the impact of 5G technology on the public. The petitioner also raised concerns over the possible impact of radiation on the environment.

In general, MPs appeared satisfied to discuss this topic, which has generated a lot of debate among people in Luxembourg and beyond. A member of the opposition recognised that this topic raised many questions, in response to which the government should set up an information campaign to objectively explain the issues to the public. 

Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, in his role as Minister for Communications and Media, maintained that “the government has nothing to hide in the 5G dossier”. The country's 5G strategy was presented in September 2018 and several conferences have been organised since. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel added that the topic is regularly discussed in the Chamber of Deputies and reassured the petitioners that the government's 5G strategy is governed by a precautionary principle.

Luxembourg's Minister of Health, Paulette Lenert, and Minister for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, Carole Dieschbourg, reiterated that "the debate on 5G is not over" and that the two ministries are following new knowledge and studies in this area very closely.

At the end of the public debate, MPs concluded that these discussions should continue in the Media and Communications Committee. Several opposition MPs offered to discuss it in a policy debate.