INTERNATIONAL
& EU AFFAIRS
EU politics and international guidelines have a growing impact on healthcare in Europe and in particular the field of medical imaging. The ESR closely monitors EU legislation and initiatives and has successfully built relations with relevant EU institutions, international organisations and other stakeholders. The main aim of the ESR is to be acknowledged as a major stakeholder in EU health policies and involved in consultation processes for new legislative initiatives in this field.
In order to achieve this, the ESR has adopted a proactive approach making European and International affairs a regular agenda item within the ESR Board of Directors and assigning experts that are dedicated to various European political dossiers in close collaboration with the ESR Board of Directors and supported by the ESR’s European and International Affairs Department.
An overview of current European and international issues related to the radiology profession and related advocacy efforts is offered below.
Advocating a communal approach to Radiology.
Radiology is not a solitary endeavour; it thrives on the synergy of minds and perspectives coming together. The ESR recognises this and champions the power of a communal approach, where radiologists, researchers, technologists, and healthcare professionals collaborate seamlessly. This approach fosters the exchange of ideas, experiences, and best practices, leading to improved patient outcomes and advancements in the field.
Policy Topics
ESR represents radiologists’ interests on key issues at the EU level, read all about the key policy topics here →
European Projects
ESR has been involved in various European Commission funded projects and studies related to imaging, radiation protection, quality and safety and related policy implementation.
News
about the ESR regarding the EU & International affairs.
Find older articles
in our archive here.
Must read
- September 2023
Have your say – Study on mapping and evaluating the implementation of EU’s Beating Cancer Plan
European & International Alliances
BioMed Alliance
Effective collaboration in medical research and healthcare is essential for proactive readiness to tackle future challenges and to ensure Europe’s continued prominence in the realm of medical science. The Biomedical Alliance effectively comprises these efforts through a network of leading European medical societies that together include more than 400,000 researchers and health professionals.
The European Society of Radiology (ESR) actively participates in the Alliance’s diverse array of initiatives, dedicated to promoting the advancement of medical excellence and elevating patient care standards across Europe.
European Cancer Organisation
The European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the European Cancer Organisation share a mission of dynamic partnership, facilitating scientific collaboration and exchange within the cancer domain. As a not-for-profit federation of member organisations working in cancer at European level, the Organisation convenes oncology professionals and patients for a united voice of the European cancer community.
Together, we advocate for impactful changes that will enhance cancer care, promote research, and improve patient outcomes.
HERCA
The Heads of the European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities (HERCA) is a voluntary association of Europe’s national radiation protection authorities established in 2007. HERCA has a Working Group on Medical Applications (WG MA) dedicated to issues such as justification of medical exposures, cooperation with CT manufacturers, or the implementation of the EURATOM Basic Safety Standards Directive.
The ESR cooperates with HERCA on the issue of justification through its multi-stakeholder meetings, developing and implementing self-commitments to improve justification processes in radiology, and regularly contributing to discussion or position papers.
ICRP
The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), an independent international organisation established in 1928, has developed, maintained, and elaborated the International System of Radiological Protection used world-wide as the common basis for radiological protection standards, legislation, guidelines, programmes, and practice.
The ESR is an ICRP Special Liaison Organisation and is considered a key stakeholder related to medical radiation protection.
IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an international organisation working to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. The IAEA’s medical programme is led by its Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging (NMDI) section while the Radiation Protection of Patients (RPOP) unit is dedicated to helping professionals achieve safer use of ionising radiation for patients. In addition to providing information to professionals and the public, each year a number of IAEA conferences and technical meetings bring together experts from all over the world to discuss issues relevant to radiology.
The Bonn Call for Action, issued by the IAEA and the WHO in 2012, sets out the international agenda for radiation protection, and forms the basis of the ESR EuroSafe Imaging Call for Action. The ESR is working closely with the RPOP unit in this context.
WHO
The World Health Organization is the United Nations organisation dedicated to promoting health around the world. The ESR works with the WHO in areas like radiation protection, patient safety and education. The WHO has a dedicated programme for ionising radiation including medical radiation exposure.
The International Society of Radiology, of which the ESR is a member, is a non-state actor in official relations with the WHO and regularly participates in meetings at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
European Commission Groups
European Commission eHealth Stakeholder Group
The ESR has been a member of the European Commission eHealth Stakeholder Group since its establishment in 2012. The group is composed of up to 40 European umbrella organisations and associations representing health data users (patients, professionals, providers, payers etc), industry, research, and standardisation bodies.
Policy areas of interest to the ESR include the European Cancer Imaging Initiative and the implementation of the European Health Data Space. The purpose of the group is to discuss and actively contribute to the development of EU eHealth policy in a multidisciplinary approach. In particular, it will contribute to the development of the proposal for a Regulation on the European Health Data Space, and support transparency with regard to the Commission eHealth actions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
EU Health Policy Platform
The EU Health Policy Platform is the European Commission’s online platform to facilitate its contacts with health stakeholders. In addition to hosting formal EU expert groups like the eHealth Stakeholder Group (eHSG) or the Expert Group on Cancer Control, on which the ESR is represented, the HPP also serves as an open forum for health stakeholders.
Each year, stakeholder organisations are given the opportunity to propose and lead thematic networks on healthcare issues. The thematic networks produce joint statements in cooperation with interested stakeholder organisations that are submitted to the European Commission and evaluated for potential follow-up actions to better reflect stakeholder priorities in EU policy.
European Medicines Agency Healthcare Professionals’ Working Party (EMA HCPWP)
The ESR is a member of the European Medicines Agency Healthcare Professionals’ WorkingParty that provides recommendations to EMA and its Human Scientific Committees on matters of direct or indirect interest to healthcare professionals in relation to medicines for human use and monitors the overall interactions between EMA and healthcare professionals.
ESR's online library of data on medical imaging
The Imaging Observatory is an online library of quantitative imaging data. It collects data on imaging from across Europe and beyond and presents it in an easily accessible format, providing links to sources, reports and databases. The Imaging Observatory’s aim is to raise awareness about the status of imaging with a focus on Europe and provide a central access point for imaging data.