ENVIRONMENT/HEALTH : DIRECTIVE ON PROTECTION AGAINST IONISING RADIATION ADOPTED.

• Position: Brief article

The Council of Ministers finally adopted, on 5 December 2013, the directive that lays down health standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation. The new directive(1) shows that substantial progress has been made in radiation protection in a wide range of areas, including in medical and industrial applications, energy production and waste management. Member states will have four years to incorporate the directive into their national legislation.

The new directive foresees a system that protects against radiation whereby member states have established a set of legal requirements and an adapted an appropriate regulatory control system - for all exposure situations - founded on the principles of justification, optimisation and dose limitation. Furthermore, the directive sets out guidelines to provide learning, training and information in radiation protection areas.

The directive updates and groups together five of...