The primary aim of the Radiation Protection Regulations is to protect the health of individuals in the event of occupational exposure, medical exposure and public exposure to risks arising from ionising radiation.
- a state of emergency, in the event of an unexpected turn of events in a planned situation or an unlawful act. In such situations, there may be a risk to both professionals (e.g. first responders, firefighters) and the general public.
The Radiation Protection Regulations apply to:
- situations involving planned exposure, i.e. where a radiation source is used in a planned manner, such as the use of X-ray systems in medical equipment, the operation of radioactive sources in industry, etc. In these situations, there may be exposure of workers (e.g. operators of equipment emitting radiation), the public (e.g. people visiting areas adjacent to X-ray rooms) and examinees or patients undergoing a medical examination involving the use of radiation
- a situation of existing exposure, where there is a radiation source whose existence was previously unknown or which was not subject to regulatory control. In such situations, there may be exposure of workers on site (e.g. those working in environments with elevated natural radioactivity) and of the general public (e.g. living in environments with high radon concentrations)
Compliance with radiation protection requirements is ensured through regulatory control (a) of all justified radiation practices, (b) practices involving naturally occurring radioactive materials that result in exposure of workers or members of the public, which cannot be disregarded from a radiation protection perspective; and (c) the transport of radioactive materials. Regulatory control is carried out on the basis of the principle of a graded approach, that is to say, it is proportionate to the magnitude and likelihood of exposure arising from the practice, as well as the effects it may have on reducing exposure or improving radiological safety, and comprises two main stages:
Mapping of the three exposure scenarios provided for in the new regulatory framework and allocation to the relevant categories, namely exposed workers (occupational exposure), the general public (public exposure) and examinees/patients (medical exposure).
Notification or approval of practices.
Approval may take the form of either registration or authorisation.
The notification or authorisation of practices involves the issuance of an administrative act depending on the type of practice (notification number, proof of registration or licence).
Practices subject to regulatory control for the purposes of radiation protection are described in general terms in Section 2 of Chapter E of Presidential Decree 101/2018 “Adaptation of Greek legislation to Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of 5 December 2013 laying down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from ionising radiation… – Adoption of Radiation Protection Regulations’ (Government Gazette 194/A/20.11.2018) and are further specified, taking into account the applications of radiation in our country, in Joint Ministerial Decision 45872/2019 “Procedures for the regulatory control of ionising radiation practices – recognition of services and experts” (Government Gazette 1103/B/3 April 2019), as amended by Joint Ministerial Decision 32083/2022 (Government Gazette 1552/B/4 April 2022) (see the relevant informal codification of the two Joint Ministerial Decisions). Depending on the practice, the procedure of notification, registration and authorisation is followed. Specifically, Part A of Annex I to the aforementioned Joint Ministerial Decision lists the practices for which only notification is required, Part B lists the practices subject to registration, and Part C lists the practices subject to authorisation.
In accordance with the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 4 of Joint Ministerial Decision 45872/2019, the EEAE publishes on its website an indicative list explaining how the practices set out in Annex I correspond to the various radiation applications, with the aim of facilitating the submission of the required supporting documents.
Inspections at appropriate intervals.
Inspections are carried out by the EEAE to verify compliance with the legal requirements of the Radiation Protection Regulations.
The EEAE implements an inspection system to enforce the provisions of the radiation protection regulations and ensures that monitoring is initiated and corrective measures are taken where necessary.
The inspection programme is drawn up taking into account the magnitude and nature of the risk associated with the practices, a general assessment of radiation protection issues in the practices and the degree of compliance with the provisions of the Radiation Protection Regulations. Inspections may be ‘scheduled’ or ‘unannounced’, meaning they may be carried out at any time. In both cases, inspections are conducted either ‘with prior notice’ or ‘without prior notice’.
Summary data and conclusions from inspections of organisations carrying out ionising radiation practices are published by the EEAE, pursuant to (c) of paragraph 2 of Article 104 of Presidential Decree 101/2018, which stipulates that an overview of the inspection programme and the main findings arising from its implementation shall be made available to the public on an annual basis.
Notification
Any organisation implementing practices included in Part A of Annex I of Joint Ministerial Decision 45872/2019 “Procedures for the regulatory control of ionising radiation practices – recognition of services and experts” (Government Gazette 1103/B/03.04.2019) is subject to regulatory control through the notification procedure.
MORERegistration
An organisation that implements practices included in Part B of Annex I of Joint Ministerial Decision 45872/2019 “Regulatory control procedures for ionising radiation practices – accreditation of services and experts” (Government Gazette 1103/B/3 April 2019) is subject to regulatory control through the registration procedure.
MORELicensing
An organisation that implements practices included in Part C of Annex I to Joint Ministerial Decision 45872/2019 ‘Regulatory control procedures for ionising radiation practices – recognition of services and experts’ (Government Gazette 1103/B/03.04.2019) is subject to regulatory control through the licensing procedure.
MOREMagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners
Licensing of medical laboratories equipped with MRI scanners has been mandatory in Greece since late 2015.
MORETransport of radioactive materials
Radioactive materials are used every day and have been helping to improve our quality of life for over a century.
MORESpecialised facilities
The EEAE supervises a number of special facilities that are subject to regulatory control.
MORERegulatory Oversight of Practices Involving NORM Materials in Greece
The regulation and supervision of organisations carrying out, amongst other things, practices involving NORM (naturally occurring radioactive materials) falls within the current regulatory framework that has been in force in the country since 2018.
MORERegulatory framework
The regulatory framework governing the use of ionising radiation covers a wide range of workers and professionals in the health sector, industry and the service sector, as well as a large number of institutional bodies with responsibilities in the fields of public health, environmental protection, civil protection and, more generally, radiation safety.
MOREImposition of sanctions
Entities that have entered into agreements with the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) and are subject to the provisions of Chapter E of Law 4310/2014 (as amended by Articles 60–68 of Law 4982/2022, A’ 195), are obliged to:
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