ASN Report 2020

in the field of nuclear safety – excluding any responsibility as nuclear licensee. The IRSN contributes to information of the public and publishes the opinions requested by a public authority or ASN, in consultation with them. It organises the publicity of scientific data resulting from the research programmes run at its initiative, with the exception of those relating to defence matters. For the performance of its missions, ASN receives technical support from the IRSN. As the ASN Chairman is now a member of the IRSN Board, ASN contributes to setting the direction of the IRSN’s strategic planning. The IRSN conducts and implements research programmes in order to build its public expertise capacity on the very latest national and international scientific knowledge in the fields of nuclear and radiological risks. It is tasked with providing technical support for the public authorities with competence for safety, radiation protection and security, in both the civilian and defence sectors. The IRSN also has certain public service responsibilities, in particular monitoring of the environment and of populations exposed to ionising radiation. The IRSN manages national databases (national nuclear material accounting, national inventory of ionising radiation sources, file for monitoring worker exposure to ionising radiation, etc.), and thus contributes to information of the public concerning the risks linked to ionising radiation. The IRSN workforce As at 31 December 2020, the IRSN’s overall workforce stood at 1,800 employees, of whom 430 are devoted to ASN technical support. The IRSN budget The IRSN budget is presented in point 3. A five-year agreement defines the principles and procedures for the technical support provided to ASN by the Institute. This agreement is clarified on a yearly basis by a protocol identifying the actions to be performed by the IRSN to support ASN. TECV Act This 17 August 2015 Act clarifies the organisation of the system built around ASN and the IRSN: ∙ It enshrines the existence and duties of the IRSN within a new section 6 of the Environment Code entitled “The Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety” in Chapter 2 concerning “The Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN)” of Title IX of Book V of the Environment Code. ∙ It recalls that ASN benefits from the IRSN technical support, indicating that this support comprises expert analysis and assessment activities “ supported by research ”. ∙ It clarifies the relations between ASN and the IRSN, indicating that ASN “ guides IRSN’s strategic programming concerning this technical support ” and that the ASN Chairman is a member of the Board of the Institute. ∙ Finally, it also makes provision for the principle of the publication of the IRSN opinions. 2.5.2 Advisory Committees of Experts In preparing its decisions, ASN relies on the opinions and recommendations of eight Advisory Committees of Experts (GPEs). A distinction is made between the expert assessment requested from the IRSN (see point 2.5.1) and that requested from the GPEs. At ASN’s request, the GPEs issue an opinion on certain technical dossiers with particularly high potential consequences prior to decisions being taken. The GPEs consist of experts appointed individually for their competence and are open to civil society. Their members come from university and association backgrounds and from expert assessment and research organisations. They may also be licensees of nuclear facilities or come from other sectors (industrial, medical, etc.). Participation by foreign experts can help diversify the approach to problems and provide the benefit of experience acquired internationally. ASN renews the composition of the Advisory Committees every four years. They are broken down according to their areas of expertise: ∙ the Advisory Committee for decommissioning (GPDEM) created in October 2018, ∙ the Advisory Committee for Nuclear Reactors (GPR) renewed in October 2018, ∙ the Advisory Committee for Laboratories and Plants (GPU) renewed in October 2018, ∙ the Advisory Committee for Waste (GPD) renewed in October 2018, ∙ the Advisory Committee for Transport (GPT) renewed in October 2018, ∙ the Advisory Committee for Nuclear Pressure Equipment (GPESPN) renewed in October 2018, ∙ the Advisory Committee for the Radiation Protection of Workers and the Public for Industrial and Research Applications, as well as for ionising radiation of natural origin and in the environment (GPRADE) extended for one year in December 2020, ∙ the Advisory Committee for the Radiation Protection of Health Professionals, the Public and Patients for Medical and Forensic Applications of Ionising Radiation (GPMED) extended for one year in December 2020. For most of the subjects covered, the GPEs examine the reports produced by the IRSN, by an expert working group or by one of the ASN departments. The representatives of the ASN departments or external structures which carried out the expert assessment prior to a GPE meeting, present their conclusions to the group. Following each consultation, the GPE consulted can send the ASN Director General a written opinion, plus recommendations where necessary. The contents of the dossier are made available to the members of the GPEs so that they can reach an informed and independent conclusion. This independent perspective is of use for the decision-making process. In addition to being consulted on the dossiers submitted by a licensee, the Advisory Committees act as guarantor of nuclear safety and radiation protection doctrine and contribute to its development. They can be invited to take part in the debate on ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETINGS IN 2020 Given the context of the pandemic, the way in which Advisory Committee (GPE) meetings were held had to be adapted, so that their activities could continue. The plenary in-person meetings were replaced by discussions organised according to the following interaction and contribution procedures: ཛྷ virtual meetings in the form of written after-the-fact exchanges. Two consultations of this type were set up; ཛྷ plenary video-conference meetings allowing the direct interactions that are vital for building expertise. Six days of this type were organised. THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 138 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2020 02 – THE PRINCIPLES OF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION AND THE REGULATION AND OVERSIGHT STAKEHOLDERS