The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council participated in the 35th meeting of the Board of Heads of the European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities (HERCA), held in Helsinki. The meeting highlighted the progress made by the working group established to collaborate with the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) towards common objectives. As a result, HERCA will have representatives in both the ICRP Committee on Radiological Protection in Medicine and the Committee on the Application of ICRP Recommendations. This involvement will allow HERCA to contribute directly to the development of future recommendations.

The meeting, hosted at the headquarters of STUK – the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland – also addressed Artificial Intelligence (AI), the key aspects of the EU AI Act, and the challenges and opportunities its application may present for radiation protection. A permanent item on AI in radiation protection will be included in future HERCA Board of Heads meetings to monitor developments in this field within the European context.

HERCA's permanent working groups presented progress on their respective projects. Some groups also submitted new initiatives and work plans for approval. The Education & Training group reported on a project focused on the practical application of the graded approach to the roles of radiation protection expert and officer, in which the CSN has played a prominent role.

In the group on medical applications, new awareness and inspection campaigns were announced, focused on the principles of justification and optimisation of exposures. The group reaffirmed its active participation in all relevant sectoral forums. The natural radiation group is working on harmonising indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of National Radon Action Plans. Meanwhile, the emergency preparedness group expressed their satisfaction at becoming a consolidated forum for the exchange of experience, with ongoing attention to the situation in Ukraine. The group on industrial applications reported on several initiatives, including discussions on how different countries manage the radioactive material in consumer goods and non-medical exposure of individuals.

The meeting also featured activity reports from HERCA´s Chair, Jean-Luc Lachaume and the Vice-Chairs, alongside reviews of the association’s financial status and institutional policy. It was agreed to reactivate the HERCA Strategy Task Force to assess the current implementation and explore potential improvements. In addition, a new Chair was elected for the HERCA Network on the Occupational Dose Collecting, Registration and Recording (NWODCRR).

The Helsinki meeting also marked the end of Pilar Lucio’s term as member and Vice-Chair of HERCA. She will now assume new institutional responsibilities following her reappointment as CSN Commissioner for a further six-year term and her recent appointment as Vice-president of the CSN. Lucio highlighted the professional and personal value of all HERCA participants and expressed her gratitude for their commitment to strengthening international cooperation, improving communication, and ensuring HERCA's efficient functioning. The CSN’s institutional representation within HERCA will be undertaken by Commissioner Silvia Calzón.

The meeting was attended by representatives from key international organisations involved in radiological protection, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Commission and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), in their capacity as observers. Each organisation presented updates on their activities, international cooperation projects, publications of interest, and ongoing initiatives.

The next HERCA Steering Committee meeting will be held in The Hague in November 2025.

HERCA was created in 2007 to initiate an exchange of knowledge and experiences in order to facilitate practical and harmonized solutions to important regulatory issues in radiation protection. Although in the European Union the regulatory framework for radiological protection is limited to regulations drawn up by the European Commission, such as Regulations or Directives, the practical application of these requirements can be carried out in very different ways by each member state.

The association is composed of representatives of 56 European authorities competent in Radiological Protection, belonging to 32 European countries. 

To carry out their tasks, working subgroups have been established to cover the radiological protection of exposed workers, the safety of radioactive sources, actions in case of emergencies, activities related to radiological protection in the medical field, both for exposed workers and patients, activities related to radiological protection in industrial facilities, and training in radiological protection.