ASN Report 2015

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1.4 ASN’s relations with elected
officials and institutional bodies
In 2015, ASNwas regularly summoned to hearings before
Parliament concerning its activity on subjects relating to
nuclear safety and radiation protection, and the Energy
Transition for Green Growth Bill.
• In May 2015 the Commission of Economic Affairs of
the Senate questioned the ASNChairman on Article 54
of the “Macron” Bill relative to the export of French
reactors, the Cigéo project and the notion of reversibility,
and on the Energy Transition Bill. Several questions also
focused on the forthcomingmajor issues for ASN, and
in particular on the possible continuation of operation
of the NPPs beyond 40 years, the implementation of
the post-Fukushima safetymeasures, the examination
of the Cigéo authorisation request, and the future
commissioning of the Flamanville EPR reactor.
• In May, the Finance Commission of the National
Assembly heard ASN as part of its examination of the
situation of the Areva Group.
• In June the OPECST (Parliamentary Office for the
Evaluationof Scientific andTechnological Choices) heard
ASN on the oversight of nuclear pressure equipment
and the EPR reactor vessel.
• ASN was also heard on several occasions by the
National Assembly and the Senate concerning its
financial and human resources and the future issues
regarding nuclear regulation in France, in the context
of the 2016 Budget Bill.
Press conferences
In 2015 ASN organised twenty national and regional press
conferences.
On 20th January 2015, ASN presented its wishes for the
New Year to some thirty journalists from the national and
international press. During this event, Pierre-Franck Chevet
and Jean-Christophe Niel presented a review of ASN, its
development, its relations with its international counterparts
and its strategic priorities for the coming year.
On 16th April, ASN organised a press conference attended
by some forty journalists to present its Report on the state
of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2014.
The regional divisions of ASN subsequently organised regional
conferences to present the results of their activity during
the year to their region and inform the regional media
of the forthcoming issues at stake for ASN. The local press
focused essentially on the regional situation assessments
of each division, asking questions concerning the operation
and oversight of the nuclear facilities, the incidents that
occurred during the year and the environmental impact
of the activities overseen.
TO BE NOTED ASN presented its Report on the State of Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection in France to the OPECST on
15th April. This report, which constitutes the reference
document on the state of the activities regulated by ASN
in France, is submitted each year to the President of the
Republic, to the Government and to the Parliament. It is
also sent out to nearly 2,000 addressees, including heads
of administrations, local elected officials, licensees and
heads of regulated activities or facilities, associations,
professional trades unions, and learned societies.
Alongside these hearings, and to be more effective in the
exercise of its duties, ASNmaintains regular contact with
the elected officials and interchanges with its institutional
contacts on subjects relating to nuclear safety and radiation
protection.
Underpinning this regular contact with the local elected
officials, ASN and IRSNwill be present at theMayors and
Local Authorities Exhibition, to be held at Paris Expo, Porte
de Versailles, from 31st May to 2nd June 2016. Initially
planned forNovember 2015, the exhibitionwas postponed
following the terrorist attacks of 13th November 2015.
In order to inform its institutional contactsmore regularly,
ASNpublishes the “Lettre de l’Autorité de sûreté nucléaire”
every twomonths. This letter provides a summary of the
important topical issues and information relative to ASN
resolutions and actions, including on the international
front. It can be consulted and downloaded from
and sent by electronic mail on subscription.
1.5 International cooperation
in the field of communication
ASN invests itself on the international scene to promote
experience feedback and the sharing of best practices for
informing the public.
In 2015, ASN continued its participation in the
communication working group coordinated by Nuclear
Energy Agency (NEA). It participated with various
stakeholders (media, NGOs, etc.) in an international
workshop organised by its American counterpart, the
NRC, from 21st March to 2nd April 2015 to discuss the
quality of the information issued by the Nuclear Safety
Authorities.
ASNtookpart in two cooperationmissions financedby the
EuropeanCommission for theMoroccan andVietnamese
Authorities to help them establish an information policy
that complies with the best standards (see chapter 7).
188 CHAPTER 06: FROM INFORMATION TO TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015