5 // The bilateral framework for ASN’s international relations ASN collaborates with about twenty foreign safety regulators under bilateral agreements. Most of these agreements are bilateral administrative arrangements, but they are sometimes part of broader Governmental agreements (as is the case with Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg). The countries with which ASN maintains particularly close relations are, on the one hand, neighbouring countries, especially those whose border is situated close to a French nuclear facility and, on the other, the major nuclear countries and the countries using French nuclear technologies. These relations enable strategic information to be exchanged. This is notably the case during high-level meetings, at which points of doctrine and topical subjects for each authority (organisational and regulatory changes, events, feedback, etc.) are covered. They are also an opportunity for exchanges of technical and operational information. Practices can in particular be compared in detail during topical workshops or inspection cross-observations, in order to highlight practices from which ASN can draw inspiration. The pandemic did not spare bilateral exchanges in 2021. ASN and its counterparts nonetheless succeeded in maintaining active relations, optimising the use of remote meetings over the first part of the year, and “hybrid” or in-person meetings subsequently. Even if the lessons learned from the health situation were a regular subject of discussion, many other topics were covered throughout the year by ASN and its counterparts, such as the reactors fourth periodic safety reviews, decommissioning, radioactive waste management, the precautionary culture, modular reactors, management of emergency situations and the transformation of the regulators. 5.1 Bilateral cooperation between ASN and its foreign counterparts SOUTH AFRICA On 18 November 2021 a remote technical meeting was held between ASN and its South African counterpart (National Nuclear Regulator –NNR) on extending reactor lifetimes. The NNR was particularly interested in the lessons learned from France’s fourth periodic safety review of the 900 Megawatts electric (MWe) reactors, given the upcoming examination of the review file for the two reactors of the Koeberg NPP. GERMANY The Franco-German Commission (CFA/DFK) was created as an inter-governmental body and involves several competent authorities at both national and local levels. With regard to ASN, both the head office departments and the Strasbourg regional division are concerned. In addition to the Commission’s plenary meetings, two working groups meet regularly, one to address the safety of NPPs in border areas, the other the management of emergency situations. In 2021, the Commission and its working groups held remote meetings on 9 June, 24 September and 6 December. The scaleddown plenary meeting of the commission was an opportunity to present developments in the situation of each of the two countries, such as the fourth periodic safety review of the 900 MWe reactors, the situation in the NPPs near the Franco-German border, or changes to the regulations. A Franco-German workshop on the topic of decommissioning was also held remotely on 22 and 26 November. This workshop, organised by Germany and also open to the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), led to extensive discussions on Germany’s experience of decommissioning and the role of the authorities in this field. The workshop was particularly well received by the French participants. BELGIUM ASN cooperates on all subjects within its field of competence with its Belgian counterpart, the Agence Fédérale de Contrôle Nucléaire (AFCN). This leads to cooperation both nationally and locally, with certain of the ASN regional divisions. The Franco-Belgian steering committee was unable to meet in 2021. Two technical meetings on NPP safety, waste management and decommissioning were however held remotely on 17 and 18 March 2021. CANADA On 29 January and 4 June 2021 remote technical meetings were held on the digital transformation and the use of artificial intelligence, during which ASN and its American (NRC) and Canadian (CNSC) counterparts shared their experience of the digital tools currently in use or under development. On 5 February 2021 the annual ASN/CNSC bilateral meeting was held via video-conference. This meeting discussed current topics concerning regulations, inspection practices and inspector training, small modular reactor projects, safety culture and the planned personnel secondments between the two Authorities. CHINA In 2021, discussions with ASN’s Chinese counterpart (National Nuclear Safety Administration –NNSA) concerned Operating Experience Feedback (OEF) from operation of the Taishan NPP. This plant, located in the Province of Guangdong in the South of China, houses the world’s first two EPR reactors to have been commissioned. Further to an ASN proposal, technical meetings were held remotely with the NNSA to examine to what extent the feedback from the operating situation of Taishan reactor 1 can be taken into account in the ongoing examination of the commissioning application for the Flamanville EPR. Other meetings are scheduled for early 2022. SPAIN On 18 October 2021 a meeting was held in Montrouge between the Chairmen of ASN and its Spanish counterpart (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear –CSN) to identify the subjects for the next bilateral meeting scheduled for June 2022. The management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, cross-inspections on the regulation and oversight of nuclear reactors, transparency and public information were selected. At the end of 2021, technical discussions concerning industrial radiography were also held between the CSN and ASN’s Bordeaux regional division. The discussions notably concerned the regulatory requirements regarding the protection of ionising radiation sources against malicious acts and the inspection methods applicable to this topic. A video-conference technical meeting was held on 4 November 2021. It was followed by the arrival of a CSN inspector to observe the 25 November ASN inspection of the French subsidiary of a transboundary Spanish industrial radiography company. These exchanges will be continued in 2022. UNITED STATES From 8 to 11 March 2021, a video-conference was used to hold the 33rd edition of the Regulatory Information Conference (RIC), organised annually by ASN’s American counterpart, the NRC. The ASN Director General presented ASN’s digital transformation and, in particular, the artificial intelligence system it uses to support its inspection process. On 30 June 2021 the 12th bilateral meeting between ASN and the NRC was held by video-conference. The discussions notably concerned national topical subjects and the respective regulations, materials degradation, design deviations on the Flamanville EPR ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2021 199 06 – INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 08 07 13 04 10 06 12 14 03 09 05 11 02 01 AP
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