Clearance and Exemption- Application in EU Member Status

This paper summarises the findings of the European Commission project commissioned to provide information on the application of the concepts of exemption and clearance for practices according to Title III of Council Directive 96/29/EURATOM (Directive) of 13 May 1996 (Directive). The study collated and then evaluated information on the legal instruments and application of exemption and clearance in all EU Member States. It was found that most Member States in the EU have introduced new legislation to address the Directive within the past 2-3 years. Exemption has been implemented by the majority of Member States in a way consistent with Title III of the Directive. The area of greatest variation relates to the introduction of clearance levels. In most Member States clearance levels, when adopted, are not based on values published in guidance from the European Commission. It was found that there is a variation of up to four orders of magnitude between the clearance levels used in some Member States and those recommended in European Commission guidance. It is clear, following the review of implementation in Member States, that there is a need for additional guidance on various aspects of the implementation of the concepts of exemption and clearance; including on surface contamination levels and decay storage. Clearance guidance for small users such as universities and hospitals would also be welcomed. (Author) 9 refs