4.4 CONTRIBUTING TO PUBLIC INFORMATION Ordinance 2012-6 of 5 January 2012, modifying Books I and V of the Environment Code, extends the obligations for public information to the persons Responsible for Nuclear Activities (RNA). Article L. 125-10 of the Environment Code sets the thresholds beyond which the person responsible for transport must communicate the information requested by a citizen. The thresholds are defined as being those “above which, in application of the international conventions and regulations governing the transport of dangerous goods, of the Code of Transport and of their implementing texts, the transport of radioactive substances is subject to the issuance – by ASN or by a foreign Authority competent in the field of radioactive substance transport – of an approval of the transport package design or a shipment approval, including under special arrangement”. Any citizen may therefore ask the persons in charge of transport for information on the risks presented by the transport operations referred to in the Environment Code. On asn.fr, ASN has also published an information file presenting the transport of radioactive substances. 4.5 PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN THE TRANSPORT SECTOR International regulations are drafted and implemented as a result of fruitful exchanges between countries. ASN incorporates these exchanges into a process of continuous improvement in the level of safety of radioactive substance transports, and encourages exchanges with its counterparts in other States. 4.5.1 Work of the European Association of Competent Authorities on Transport An European Association of Competent Authorities on the Transport of Radioactive Material (EACA) was created in 2008. Its purpose is to promote the harmonisation of practices in the regulation of the safety of transport of radioactive substances, and to encourage exchanges and OEF between the various Authorities. France, which initiated the creation of this association, plays an active part in its work, including by presenting its views on the regulatory changes that may be needed, in particular on the occasion of the association’s annual meeting. 4.5.2 Bilateral relations with ASN’s foreign counterparts ASN devotes considerable efforts to maintaining close ties with the competent Authorities of the countries concerned by the numerous shipments to and from France. Prominent among these are Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Germany In 2016, the French and German Authorities decided to meet regularly to discuss a range of technical subjects. ASN also participates in the Franco-German technical committees concerning the programme for returning German spent nuclear fuel reprocessing waste. Belgium For the production of nuclear electrical power in Belgium, Frenchdesigned packagings are sometimes used for “fuel cycle” shipments. In order to harmonise practices and achieve progress in the safety of these shipments, ASN and the competent Belgian Authority (Belgian Federal Nuclear Regulating Agency; called Agence fédérale pour le contrôle nucléaire – AFCN – in French) regularly exchange know-how and experience. The exchanges more particularly concern the review of safety cases for French package models for which approval is validated in Belgium, and inspection practices in each country. United Kingdom ASN and the British regulator (Office for Nuclear Regulation – ONR) share many subjects of interest, notably with regard to validation of English approvals by ASN and vice versa. Bilateral contacts are therefore held regularly to ensure good communication between these two Authorities. Switzerland In 2012, ASN began bilateral exchanges on transports with the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (IFSN; called Eidgenössisches Nuklearsicherheitsinspektorat – ENSI – in German). Since then, ASN and IFSN have met annually in order to discuss the packaging model safety options dossiers and the checks on the requirements associated with the correct utilisation of these transport packages. The PATRAM (Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials) symposium is the only international event specifically devoted to packagings and the transport of radioactive materials. Every four years, it attracts an average of 800 participants to plenary conferences, technical sessions or poster sessions. The purpose of this event is to bring together international experts from the industry and representatives of the competent authorities and research organisations for scientific and technical discussions on all aspects related to the packaging and transport of radioactive materials. The 18th edition of the PATRAM symposium was held at Juan-les-Pins (Alpes-Maritimes département) in France, from 11 to 16 June 2023. ASN chaired or co-chaired a few technical sessions and presented its positions on the regulations applicable to transports. ASN PARTICIPATION IN THE PATRAM SYMPOSIUM IN 2023 286 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 • 09 • Transport of radioactive substances
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