Protection against ionising radiation and the safety of CERN’s facilities: the tripartite agreement between France, Switzerland and the CERN comes into force on 16th September 2011

On 28th August 2011 the Official Journal published the decree of the agreement, signed in Geneva on 15 November 2010 [1], on the protection against ionising radiation and the safety of the facilities at CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research).

ASN welcomes the coming into effect, on 16th September 2011, of the agreement signed between France, Switzerland and the CERN. It is the result of intense consultation between the host States and the CERN on technical and legal matters. It is also the fruit of a strong will, shared by all the signatories, to achieve a common and rigorous approach on issues regarding the safety of nuclear installations at the CERN and protection against ionising radiation. This will was expressed in particular at the highest level of the CERN, in drawing up the terms of this agreement, to enable it to carry out its current and future research in fundamental physics in the best possible conditions.

This agreement allows the ASN and its Swiss counterpart, the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP) to completely discharge their monitoring functions.

The text of the agreement is available at the following address (french version).