Control of Radioactivity in Foodstuffs in the European Economic Community

Abstract

There are two bodies of European Community (EC) legislation relevant to the control of radioactive contamination in foodstuffs, that concerned with radiation protection requirements based on the Euratom Treaty and that dealing with the free circulation of goods within the EC based on the EEC Treaty. The first has as its keystone the Euratom Basic Safety Standards for the health protection of the general public and workers against the dangers of ionizing radiation (1). These standards take the form of a Council directive, the preparation of which requires the Commission of the European Communities (CEC) to consult a specialized expert group established under Article 31 of the Euratom Treaty and then the Economic and Social Committee before presenting proposals to the Council of Ministers (the Council), which in turn must consult the European Parliament before making a unanimous decision. The present standards cater largely to normal conditions, with responsibility for emergency management placed on the individual member states. Moreover, the procedures described ruled out the possibility of introducing new legislation for community wide action on the time scale required following the Chernobyl accident.