Commission moves to enforce Euratom radiation protection standards
The European Commission is taking France, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom to the European Court of Justice for non-compliance with two Euratom Directives on radiation exposure and safety standards. The five countries will be challenged under the terms of the Euratom (European Atomic Energy) Treaty as they have not yet transposed the Euratom Directives on basic safety standards and medical exposures, which were due to be applied into national law by 13 May 2000. The Directive on basic safety standards aims to improve protection against ionising radiation, which is produced during a variety of medical and industrial processes and is a by-product of nuclear power production. It sets lower exposure limits and new requirements to justify the use of radioactive substances and assess population exposure. It also sets out the principle of keeping exposures as low as can 'reasonably' be achieved. The Directive on medical exposures increases the level of radiological protection for patients and medical staff, establishes a tighter justification principle and introduces requirements for qualified medical experts.