Regulatory framework is one of the main parameters determining not only investment in new nuclear installations and decommissioning of old ones but also of other phases of nuclear installations, e.g. maintenance. The framework has also a deep influence on other nuclear activities, e.g. research and development in nuclear areas and transport of nuclear fuel. Three basic directives are in the core of radiation and nuclear safety in the European Union (EU): Directive laying Down Basic Safety the Protection of the Health of Workers and the General Public against the Dangers arising from Ionizing Radiation (BSS Directive), 1996 Nuclear Safety Directive, 2009 Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Directive, 2011 They are all based on the EURATOM Treaty from 1957. The directives form a set of documents which should be put in national legislations of the European Union Member States (MSs). When nuclear installations are sited, built, commissioned, in operation or decommissioned all three should be taken simultaneously into account, e.g. licensing procedure of an NPP is explicitly mentioned in the BSS Directive. So-called cross-cutting issues must be identified in a due time. Moreover, MSs should at the same time take into account comprehensive set of other EU documents based on the EURATOM Treaty. Today two of three fundamental directives are under revision. After the Fukushima accident in 2011 the European Commission prepared a first draft of revised Nuclear Safety Directive and published in June 2013. The BSS Directive is under the revision much longer. It is expected to be published in a very near future. Its Draft contains a lot of technical details which required comprehensive analyses of state-of-the art of specific radiation safety fields as well as incorporation of experiences gained over years in harmonisation of safety standards among MSs. The fundamental change put in the Draft is a use of the concept of the International Commission for Radiation Protection published in the document ICRP 103, namely the concepts of planned exposure situation, emergency and existing exposure situation. The concept of emergency exposure situation is given in details and tackles on-as well as off-site emergency. A list of other changes in radiation safety regime is quite long. Among proposed changes nuclear installations might find a well defined dose constraint concept to be very appropriate to be fluently implemented in everyday activities. Other enlarged concepts, e.g. transparency assured by MSs, education of personnel as well concepts of radiation protection officer and radiation protection expert might be a challenge in some states. The clearance levels are a part of the Draft as well as a specific regime related to building materials. The implementation of the foreseen BSS Directive might be challenging task for countries with nuclear installations as well for countries without such installations. The radiation safety regime supported by the BSS Directive in the EU is a part of overall nuclear and radiation safety system harmonised within the EU. The new BSS Directive might influence radiation safety in the MSs of the EU in the next ten or even twenty years, taking into account the influence of past BSS directives.
