EU Commission calls on 9 Member States, including Malta, to transpose EU legislation

The Commission has decided to send letters of formal notice to Belgium, Austria, Spain, Estonia and Hungary as well as reasoned opinions to Malta, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece, requesting the complete transposition of the latest Basic Safety Standards Directive (Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom) into their national legislation.

Member States were required to transpose the Directive by 6 February 2018, but the abovementioned Member States have failed to do so in a complete manner.

The Basic Safety Standards Directive modernises and consolidates the EU radiation protection legislation. It lays down basic safety standards to protect workers, members of the public, and patients against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation. It also includes emergency preparedness and response provisions that were strengthened following the Fukushima nuclear accident.

The concerned Member States now have two months to reply to the arguments raised by the Commission; otherwise the Commission may decide to send a reasoned opinion to the 5 Member States that received a letter of formal notice or refer the 4 Member States that received a reasoned opinion to the Court of Justice of the EU.