Basic

All EM field testing should be performed in accordance with the relevant national legislation and the EU and international regulations. In this way, it may be considered that the tests have a repeatability property, where the other side can repeat certain measurement steps and obtain the same or very similar results.

In addition to obtaining the testing results , which is the principle goal of each measurement, it is necessary to show in a transparent manner the conformity of each testing step with the relevant legal provisions. 

In order to achieve this, the state authorities continuously monitor and manage regulations defining the basic steps of the EM field testing. The necessary provisions are set out in the relevant laws and regulations, while technical details are regulated by technical standards, proposed by the expert bodies of the relevant state authorities.

Laws

Based on the Law on Electronic Communications ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia", 35/23), RATEL measures the level of EM fields in accordance with the regulations in effect.

Additionally, the legal framework in the field of EM field testing has been established in the Republic of Serbia by the Law on Protection against Non-Ionizing Radiation ("Official Gazette of RS", No. 36/09).

The Law regulates the conditions and measures for protecting human health and the environment from harmful effects of the non-ionizing radiation, during the use of non-ionizing radiation sources, or when the source of the EM field is used.

Protection against non-ionizing radiation is based on the following principles:

•    the principle of prohibition - the exposure to non-ionizing radiation above the prescribed limit and any unnecessary exposure to non-ionizing radiation is not allowed; 
•    the principle of proportionality - the conditions and the permissibility of the use of sources of non-ionizing radiation of special interest are determined and assessed according to the benefits of their use for the society, in relation to the potential risks from the adverse effects that may occur due to their use, taking into account the level and duration of the population exposure in the specific case, the health structure of the potentially exposed population, the way, the time and the place of use of such source, the presence of other sources with different frequencies, and other relevant circumstances of the specific case;
•    public principle – the data on non-ionizing radiation are available to the public.

Also, the Law prescribes protection measures against non-ionizing radiation, supervision, jurisdiction for resolving complaints and penal provisions.

Rules

In addition to the Law on Protection from Non-Ionizing Radiation, the method of examining EM fields is more closely regulated by secondary legal acts, i.e. the rules of this law.

"The Rulebook on the Limits of Exposure to Non-Ionizing Radiation ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia", no. 16/25)" - Regulation, dated February 26, 2025, and in effect from June 2, 2025, prescribes the limits of exposure to non-ionizing radiation, i.e. basic limits and reference limit levels of exposure of the population to electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields of various frequencies, which can be considered safe for the health of the population. Until June 2025, the Rulebook on limits of exposure to non-ionizing radiation ("Official Gazette of RS", number 104/09) was valid. According to this rulebook, reference limit levels were set out:

Now these reference levels are applied for zones of increased sensitivity, in the sense of Article 2 of the current Rulebook.

The rulebook defines the reference field level for each individual frequency, both in the low and high frequency range, the reference limit levels that refer to the general population, as well as the procedure for checking whether the basic limits have been exceeded.

According to the Law on Electronic Communications ("Official Gazette of RS", 35/23), Article 51 of this law, the Regulatory Body for Electronic Communications and Postal Services-Regulator, for the purpose of performing control of the radio frequency spectrum, measures the level of the electromagnetic field for electronic communication networks, associated means, electronic communication equipment, radio equipment and terminal equipment. If, during the measurement, it is determined that there is an exceedance of the limit levels established by the Rulebook, the Regulator is obliged to report it to the competent inspection.

EU Directives

Within the European Union, a single legal framework has been established for all EU members, based on the recommendations of the European Commission. The most important recommendation concerning EM fields and the general population is the 1999/519/EC Recommendation of the Council on Limiting the Exposure of the General Population to Electromagnetic Fields (from 0 Hz to 300 GHz).

In addition to the European Union regulations, the recommendations of the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) also apply, providing appropriate reference in the field of testing of and protection against EM fields, based on scientific evidence.

Standards for Testing

Within the EU regulatory framework, a number of technical standards are established, the so-called European Standards, defining the tests themselves. They are governed by CEN (European Committee for Standardization), CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute).

The Republic of Serbia has adopted, to the greatest extent, all these standards as national standards, which are prescribed in the laws and regulations as mandatory. Also, special standards have been adopted, covering the testing of the low and the high frequencies, and, additionally, the standards related to a specific type of radiation sources are also frequently adopted. 

The national legislation uses the Basic Standard for Measuring Procedures and Calculation of Exposure of People to Electric, Magnetic and Electromagnetic Fields (from 0 Hz to 300 GHz) - Amendment 1 - SRPS EN 50413: 2010 / A1: 2014, which defines the HF field testing.