- 3 - GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1. The organisation of nuclear safety and radiation protection regulation in France The regulation of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France is based on two main Acts: Act 2006-686 of 13th June 2006 on transparency and security in the nuclear field (TSN Act); Planning Act 2006-739 of 28th June 2006 concerning the sustainable management of radioactive materials and waste. ASN, which has been an independent administrative authority since the TSN Act of 2006, is tasked, on behalf of the State, with regulating nuclear safety and radiation protection in order to protect workers, patients, the public and the environment from the hazards involved in nuclear activities. It also contributes to informing the public in these fields. It assists the Government in the event of a radiological emergency. Since the TSN Act was passed, ASN has enjoyed greater powers enabling it to punish offenses and take all necessary measures in the event of an emergency. ASN is run by a commission of five commissioners who perform their duties in complete independence, on a full-time basis, and are appointed for a non-renewable mandate of 6 years. ASN relies especially on the expertise of the Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and on its advisory committees of experts. With regard to nuclear safety and radiation protection, after receiving the opinion of ASN, the Government issues the general regulatory texts concerning transparency, nuclear safety and radiation protection, as well as major political decisions regarding nuclear facilities (authorisation of a basic nuclear installation, final shutdown). Parliament has an oversight role, in particular of the policy undertaken by ASN. The French Parliament's office for the evaluation of scientific and technological options (OPECST) regularly produces reports on particular aspects of nuclear safety and radiation protection. Every year, ASN sends Parliament its report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection. The French High Committee for Transparency and Information on Nuclear Security (HCTISN), created by the TSN Act, is an information, consultation and debating body concerning the hazards linked to nuclear activities and their impact. It comprises elected officials, associations, trades union representatives, qualified personalities, licensees and representatives of the public authorities. 2. French nuclear safety regulations The French regulations applicable to civil basic nuclear installations are in conformity with various conventions, international standards and European legislation: IAEA "Basic safety standards"; Convention on Nuclear Safety for civil nuclear power generating reactors; Joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management and the safety of radioactive waste management; Euratom treaty; Euratom directive of 25th June 2009 establishing a community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear installations.; Euratom directive of 19th July 2011 establishing a community framework for the responsible and safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste (which will be transposed in 2013). French nuclear safety regulations include all the general legal texts setting down nuclear safety rules, whether binding (Act voted by Parliament, decrees and ministerial orders and ASN regulatory decisions) or non-binding (ASN basic safety rules and guides).
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