Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom, passed on 5 December 2013, lays down safety standards against the dangers of ionising radiation exposure. It consolidates European radiation protection laws into a single piece of legislation, replacing several previous directives. EU Member States were required to implement it into national law by 6 February 2018.

The new directive introduced changes that impact healthcare professionals in radiology, including justification of exposure, patient information, radiation safety responsibilities, dose reporting, and diagnostic reference levels. The ESR represented the radiology profession in the implementation process, ensuring radiologists’ views were considered in multi-stakeholder meetings.

The directive reaffirms the availability of imaging referral guidelines and the need for clinical audits in imaging departments. To support healthcare professionals, the ESR launched two initiatives: ESR Basic Patient Safety Standards and Audit Tool, and the ESR iGuide