International Co-operation

BfS' co-operation with international organisations

The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) co-operates with scientific organisations and regulatory bodies on both the national and international level in the field of Radiation Protection.

The most important goals of international co-operation are:

active participation in the development of internationally recognized standards for both radiation protection and handling of radioactive substances,
exchange of experience with international partners in order to identify needs for improvements within the BfS’s own responsibility,
scientific exchange on methods and findings, on the assessment of the international status of science and technology and its further development, and on co-operation for research and studies,
exchange of information, and providing support or assistance, as required.

International co-operation to develop standards and regulations

Radiation protection limits and standards are implemented in Germany based on international recommendations and regulations as in most other countries. For ionising radiation, the related procedure can be outlined as follows: Based on scientific reports on radiation exposure and radiation effects as well and their review by UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation), the ICRP (International Commission on Radiation Protection) issues recommendations to update, consolidate and further develop the regime of radiation protection.

The European Commission (EC), or the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna then apply these recommendations within the framework of the EURATOM Treaty or of international agreements, respectively, to convert basic parts into directives, regulations and other rules. The procedures to be performed in the different areas (ionising radiation, non-ionising radiation) are similar.

EU Directives have to be implemented into national legislation

EU directives are only binding with regard to the goal to be achieved, which is why they have to be transposed into national law by the member states. The ICRP Report 103 was published at the end of 2007. The IAEA has implemented this recommendation in the Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources: International Basic Safety Standards, published at the end of 2011 as No. GSR Part 3.

On December 5, 2013 the European Directive 2013/59/EURATOM (EURATOM-Directive) was adopted, which had to be converted into national law by the Member of States in 2018.

Radiation Protection Act in Germany

In Germany the EU Directive 2013/59 EURATOM was embodied into national law by the Radiation Protection Act (StrlSchG) passed on May 12, 2017.

The emergency preparedness provisions and the rules for monitoring radioactivity in the environment already came into force in October 2017. The new Radiation Protection Act came into force at the same time as the concrete regulations of the new Radiation Protection Ordinance (StrlSchV) on December 31, 2018. The new Radiation Protection Ordinance replaces both the previous Radiation Protection Ordinance and the X-ray Ordinance.

International exchange of experience

Although differences in the procedures and the legal framework relating to radiation protection, nuclear safety and waste management exist in many countries, the international exchange of experience and information is essential to provide for protection of both population and environment. The BfS, in agreement with the Federal Environment Ministry and other Federal Ministries, is represented in all relevant international bodies, in order to contribute the German expertise and appropriately represent the national interests.

An international platform is provided by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). NEA supports several senior expert committees in the fields of law, radiation protection, nuclear regulatory activities, safety of nuclear installations and waste management, as well as additional expert and working groups in each committee.

In addition to the international framework, there are bilateral agreements with the neighbouring states of Germany for routine consultations and intensive exchange on the expert level.

Arguments for the BfS' co-operation with international organisations

Extensive co-operation between the BfS and international organisations is based on the following arguments:

The fundamental biologic effects of ionising and non-ionising radiation as well as the behaviour of radioactive materials in the environment are subject to natural-law rules und are therefore the same everywhere. It is, therefore, expedient to compare empirical data from observations, experiments and their derived models so that questions of evaluations can be validated without duplicating work.
This becomes even more relevant in a time when every country is witnessing major personnel cutbacks in this field. Through international co-operation, competence can be preserved: Either certain groups can specialise in specific topics or personnel can be swapped, thereby keeping each other up-to-date.
Moreover, there is a sheer practical necessity to react to both the mergence of markets within the EU and to the associated trans-national activities of its employees.

International tasks of the BfS

The BfS is a WHO (World Health Organization) International Collaborating Centre for Ionizing and Non-Ionizing Radiation and Health, thus actively contributing to the work done by the WHO in the field of:

non-ionising radiation
public health preparedness and response to radiation emergencies
medical uses of radiation
existing radiation exposures

BfS contributes to these objectives by determination and assessment of radiation risks, their communication, the development of international safety standards and technical guidelines as well as the implementation of international workshops and international training programmes.

Within the scope of control of the nuclear test ban treaty, coordinated by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) in Vienna, BfS operates the only measurement station for radioactivity in Central Europe. Currently, the worldwide measuring network consists of 67 stations; at a later stage of expansion, there will be 80 highly sensitive measurement systems for radioactivity in the air, stationed all over the world.

BfS gives the Federal Foreign Office and the Permanent Mission by the United Nations Office advise on radionuclide technology, evaluates the data from this network and cooperates closely with international experts in the technical working groups with the purpose to establish and further development in the verification system of the CTBT.

International co-operation focuses on the scientific exchange of knowledge

Finally, international co-operation is not only a matter of scientific exchange; it is an overall concept, on the one hand providing incentives for our staff members, that is, opportunities to work at other organisations, on the other hand providing benefits for the delegating organisation. The aim and subject of international cooperation is the scientific exchange of knowledge and the promotion of the state of science and technology through networking with

research institutions,
universities,
non-university institutions and
small and medium-sized enterprises

in joint research projects. The EU's research framework programmes can be seen here as a key to international success, international contacts and networks in research and innovation (see also EU Research Framework Programme).

State of 2023.07.12

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