The regulatory framework concerning the safe transport of radioactive material in the European Union

Radioactive materials of natural and manmade origins are employed worldwide in many areas, such as medicine, research, energy generation, and industry. As a consequence of the special nature and the properties of radioactive substances, irregular handling and use of such materials entails hazards. This is why special safety and protection provisions have been made in the interest of protecting health, life, property, and the environment from such hazards. The development and use of harmonized goals of protection and standards of safety is essential to free trade and the exchange of goods and services within the European Union and worldwide. The national and international institutions and organizations responsible for the protection and safety of transports of radioactive materials, including the European Union and its member countries, early on recognized the need for harmonized safety standards and criteria for transports of dangerous goods and developed an appropriate system of standards of safety and protection and a comprehensive set of tools for monitoring and checking observance of these standards. These tools have been laid down in a system of legally binding agreements, regulations, directives etc., or in recommendations, for the fifteen EU member states. The article presents this system of legally binding agreements, regulations, and recommendations, respectively, which covers the protection and safety of national and international transports of radioactive materials. (orig.)