Emergency Preparedness. Practical proposals for further harmonisation of the reactions in European countries to any distant nuclear or radiological emergency

It was clear from the accident at Fukushima Dai-ichi in Japan in March 2011 that national assessment and responses to nuclear emergencies even if at a great distance from Europe could be significantly improved by a more rapid exchange of information. Discussions on this point during the 7. HERCA Board of Heads meeting in June 2011 led to the 'Working Group Emergencies' (WGE) being tasked with reviewing the issues and proposing practical working solutions for a more harmonized approach in response to such distant nuclear and radiological emergency situations. The present report is the result of that work. The aim of the report is on the one hand to assist radiological safety authorities to improve their preparedness in some areas and, on the other hand, to provide an overview of the important radiological issues to be considered by radiation protection authorities in the event of a nuclear or radiological emergency in a distant country