ASN Report 2018

1.4  ̶  ASN’s relations with elected officials and institutional bodies Each year, ASN presents its annual Report on the situation of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France to the Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST). This report, which constitutes the reference document on the state of the activities regulated by ASN, is also submitted each year to the President of the Republic, to the Government and to Parliament. It is sent out to more than 2,000 addressees: heads of administrative authorities, elected officials, licensees and persons/entities in charge of regulated activities or installations, associations, professional unions and learned societies. Each year, ASN is called to about ten hearings before Parliament concerning its activities and subjects relating to nuclear safety and radiation protection, and with regard to the budget bill. ASN also maintains regular contact with the national and local elected officials, advising and assisting them at their request on subjects relating to nuclear safety and radiation protection. In 2018, ASN made itself available for the work of the board of inquiry on the safety and security of nuclear power plants chaired by Paul Christophe, member of the National Assembly, for which the report was presented in July by its rapporteur, Barbara Pompili, member of the National Assembly. The ASN regional divisions responded to the requests of the Departmental Councils or the CESER (4) on subjects relating to nuclear safety and radiation protection (ageing of the nuclear fleet, management of radioactive waste, etc.). 4. CESER: Regional Economic Social and Environmental Council. 5. Pursuant to the provisions of Article L. 592-32 of the Environment Code. 1.5  ̶  International cooperation in the field of communication ASN invests itself on the international scene to promote experience feedback and the sharing of best practices in informing the public. ASN thus regularly participates in working groups on communication and informing the various audiences, coordinated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and in cooperation missions funded by the European Commission (see chapter 6). Each year, ASN receives foreign delegations to discuss best practices. In 2018, ASN actively participated in the International Symposium on Communicating Nuclear or Radiological Emergencies to the Public organised by the IAEA, and assisted its Vietnamese counterpart - the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety – on the questions of transparency, communicating to the general public and emergency communication. 1.6  ̶  ASN staff and information In order to issue high-quality, clear and understandable information, ASN offers its staff training in spoken and written communication and emergency management, tailored to their various responsibilities. ASN has a duty to inform the public in the event of an emergency situation (5) . In order to prepare for this, ASN staff receive specific training and take part in emergency exercises. Each year, about ten emergency exercises are held, with simulated media pressure from journalists designed to test ASN’s responsiveness to the media, as well as the consistency and quality of the messages put across by the various players, both nationally and locally (see chapter 4). Presentation to the OPECST of the ASN Report on the State of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection in France – April 2018 The subjects at the core of media attention The following subjects were broadly addressed in 2018: the safety situation of the Fessenheim NPP, the commissioning schedule for the EPR, and the Cigéo safety options file. With the announcing of the broad lines for multi-year energy programming, the issues of decommissioning, ageing and continued operation of the NPPs have been the subject of numerous exchanges with French and foreign media. The journalists specialised in nuclear issues asked for information concerning the situation of the investigations in the Creusot Forge files (detection of falsification), and the state of progress of the post‑Fukushima work. Information requests concerning the optimisation of doses in the medical sector were also received, albeit to a lesser exent. Many articles on the change of the ASN chair were also published. ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2018  175 05 – INFORMING THE PUBLIC AND OTHER AUDIENCES 05