European Commission sues Portugal over failure to tackle long-term radiation risks News
EmDee, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
European Commission sues Portugal over failure to tackle long-term radiation risks

The European Commission Wednesday announced it is suing Portugal over its failure to implement a national action plan addressing long-term risks from exposure to radiation.

In a press statement, the European Commission stated that,

Today, the Commission decided to refer Portugal to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fully transpose the EU’s revised Basic Safety Standards Directive (Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom) into national legislation.

The Commission explained that it was taking these steps to “ensure the protection of citizens, workers, and patients against the dangers arising from exposure to ionizing radiation.”

Member States were required to have fully transposed the Basic Safety Standards Directive into national legislation by February 6, 2018. In November 2019, the Commission sent a reasoned opinion to Portugal as well as Malta, Cyprus, and Greece requesting them to notify the Commission of their transposition measures for the directive. Yet Portugal has still not established a national action plan addressing long-term risks from exposures to radon, leading the Commission to move on to the next stage in the infringement process, a referral to the EU Court of Justice.

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