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SAMIRA Action Plan

The SAMIRA action plan is the EU’s first comprehensive plan to support the safe, high quality and reliable use of radiological and nuclear technology in healthcare.

Adopted in February 2021, the Strategic Agenda for Medical Ionising Radiation Applications (SAMIRA) is the energy sector's contribution to Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, and a response to the EU Council's conclusion from 24 May 2019 on non-power nuclear and radiological technologies and applications.

The SAMIRA action plan is the EU’s first comprehensive plan to support the safe, high quality and reliable use of radiological and nuclear technology in healthcare. It defines 3 priority areas for EU action

  • securing the supply of medical radioisotopes
  • improving radiation quality and safety in medicine
  • facilitating innovation and the technological development of medical ionising radiation applications

It is supported by several EU programmes. The Directorate-General for Energy provides support for the implementation of Euratom legal requirements in EU countries. The EU4Health programme supports the quality and safety of radiation technology in diagnostics and cancer treatment. Euratom’s research and training programme supports radiation protection in medicine as well as the safe use and reliable supply of medical radioisotopes, with a potential for involvement with other EU funding and research programmes in the future.

Securing the supply of medical radioisotopes

Securing the long-term supply of medical radioisotopes is essential to maintaining EU patients’ access to vital medical procedures and supporting the development of new cancer treatments.

This requires significant investments across the entire supply chain, particularly in securing source materials and new production capacity. Many of the source materials are not readily available in the EU and are imported from limited stocks or production elsewhere.

In addition, the production of many medical radioisotopes takes place in research reactors, which are already experiencing ageing issues. To avoid potential shortages of radioisotopes, research reactors will need major refurbishments or to be replaced either with new ones or by other production technologies by 2030.

In order to help overcome these issues and maintain Europe's global leadership in the supply of medical radioisotopes, the Commission has started a process towards establishing the so-called European Radioisotope Valley Initiative (ERVI).

Stakeholders provided their views on the objectives and challenges of ERVI during a consultation in 2022, the results of which are published in a report and extended analysis. Following this, the feasibility of different projects proposed to be developed under ERVI is under assessment, maintaining the strong involvement of all interested stakeholders.  

The Euratom Supply Agency plays a key role in monitoring the supply of major medical radioisotopes and securing the supply of nuclear fuels and materials for radioisotopes production. The Commission is examining the EU's needs for other source materials and will consider EU support for their domestic production.

The Commission also supports the long-term safety and security of the European research reactor fleet, as well as the safe and responsible management of waste from medical applications.

Improving quality and safety in radiation medicine

The Commission launched in 2021 a European Initiative on Quality and Safety of medical applications of ionising radiation aiming to ensure that its diagnostic and therapeutic uses are in line with the highest standards for quality and safety across the EU. 

To achieve the necessary coordination and collaboration in this area, the Commission created the Steering Group on Quality and Safety (SGQS) of medical applications of ionising radiation, composed of representatives from both the health and the radiation protection authorities of EU countries.

The SGQS offers a common platform to support the implementation of European requirements for radiation protection and other quality and safety standards into the EU national health systems. It develops in particular high-quality evidence, clinical guidelines and practical tools, and support their implementation in clinical practice across Europe.

Another key aspect of SAMIRA is the education and training of researchers and professionals in radiology, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. The initiative also seeks to reduce inequalities within and between EU countries by supporting access to modern technology and interventions.

During its plenary meeting on 12-13 June 2023, the SGQS adopted a position paper supporting clinical audits of medical radiological procedures. This document provides recommendations for establishing a national framework for clinical audit, with the aim of enhancing patient safety and improving radiological procedures across the EU.

Facilitating innovation and the technological development

A coordinated EU approach to research and innovation in medical radiation applications aims to support acheiving a stable and resilient supply of medical radioisotopes, guarantee the quality and safety of applications and facilitate innovation in medical radiation therapies and imaging. The Commission aims to create synergies between the Euratom Research and Training Programme and the 'Health' cluster of Horizon Europe through implementation of a European Research Roadmap for medical applications of nuclear and radiation technology, developed after the Euramed Rocc-n-Roll strategic agenda

Studies and projects

Studies and projects conducted under SAMIRA and other projects related to SAMIRA topics are listed below.

Events

  1. 28/2/2024

    A workshop on medical radioisotopes was organised by the Belgian Presidency and DG Energy was invited to speak about how to unlock the opportunities of SAMIRA.

  2. 27/4/2023

    The Commission organised a high-level workshop on the security of supply of medical radioisotopes, which focused on EU dependencies in the context of the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

  3. 19/5/2021

    Together with the Dutch Ministry of Health, the Commission held a meeting on the security of EU supply of medical radioisotopes for beating cancer and the role of the Pallas project

  4. 13/11/2019

    The Commission and the Finnish presidency of the Council of the EU hosted a workshop on 'Management of spent fuel and radioactive waste arising from non-energy uses of nuclear and radiation technologies' in 2019.

  5. 7/2/2019

    The Commission hosted a technical workshop on 'Medical radioisotopes in the future' to investigate the challenges and opportunities in this area and discuss them with relevant stakeholders

  6. 20-21/3/2018

    An international conference was organised by the Commission, highlighting how societal challenges can be addressed by advancing SAMIRA.

  7. 2017

    The SAMIRA initiative started with an evidence-gathering and consultation phase in 2017.