In Directive 96/29/Euratom, the optimisation principle (ALARA) was re-emphasised as the cornerstone of the radiological protection system. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s ALARA was integrated into many organisations¿ radiation protection programmes, particularly in the nuclear industry. However there was still much to be done for ensuring better protection of workers from ionising radiation throughout the Member States, applicant and associated countries, in the medical sector, in the non-nuclear industry, particularly in the naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) sector, as well as for the management of internal exposure in general.
Therefore, as an extension of previously funded work on this subject (EC joint research projects on "Optimisation of radiation protection" from 1983 to 1989 and European courses on "Optimisation of radiological protection in the design and operation of nuclear facilities") the EC considered it worthwhile to create (Fourth Framework Programme - FP4) and support (Fifth Framework Programme - FP5) a European ALARA network (EAN).
At the start of this contract, EAN consisted of fourteen national partner organisations, as listed at the end of this report. By the end of the period, EAN had expanded to include representatives of institutions from eighteen European countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom) belonging to the industry, research centres or national regulatory bodies that participated to the management of the network.