ASN Report 2015

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is scheduled for 2016 in order to propose appropriate
actions andmeasures to increase the number of members.
Discussions also repeatedly questioned whether the
creation of a multinational nuclear waste disposal
facility was both appropriate and feasible. The debate
on this subject is ongoing and it should be examined
during a thematic meeting which could be held in
2016 or 2017 on safety problems and questions of
liability with regard to the final disposal of spent fuel
or radioactive waste in a country other than that in
which it was generated.
ASNwill continue to act as a driving force in the above-
mentioned fields, but also in those dealt with as a whole
by the Joint Convention.
4.3 The Convention on Early
Notification of a Nuclear Accident
TheConventiononEarlyNotificationof aNuclear Accident
came into force on 27thOctober 1986, sixmonths after
the Chernobyl accident. It had 119 contracting parties
as at 31st December 2015.
The contracting parties agree to inform the international
community as rapidly as possible of any accident leading
to uncontrolled release into the environment of radioactive
material likely to affect a neighbouring State. A systemof
communication between the States is thus coordinated
by IAEA. Exercises are periodically organised between
the contracting parties.
4.4 The Convention on Assistance
in the Case of a Nuclear Accident
or Radiological Emergency
The Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear
Accident or Radiological Emergency came into force on
26th February 1987. As at 31st December 2015, there
were 112 contracting parties.
Its purpose is to facilitate cooperation between countries
if one of them were to be affected by an accident with
radiological consequences. This Convention has already
been used on several occasions for irradiation accidents
due to abandoned radioactive sources.Within this context,
France’s specialised services have notably already taken
charge of treating victims of such accidents
4.5 Other conventions linked
to nuclear safety and radiation
protection
Other international conventions, the scope of which
does not fall within the remit of ASN, may be linked to
nuclear safety.
Of particular relevance is the Convention on the Physical
Protection of Nuclear Material, the purpose of which
is to reinforce protection against malicious acts and
against misappropriation of nuclear materials. The
Convention came into force on 8th February 1987. It
had 145 contracting parties in 2014.
Additional information on these conventions may be
obtainedfromtheIAEAwebsite:
5. BILATERAL RELATIONS
ASNcollaborateswithnumerous countries throughbilateral
agreements, which can take the form of governmental
agreements (such as withGermany, Belgium, Luxembourg
and Switzerland) or administrative arrangements between
ASN and its counterparts (about twenty). ASN intends to
share its best practices and conversely to understand the
methods used elsewhere in the approach to safety. The
activities of ASN and its counterparts vary according to
the safety and radiation protection topics which emerge
nationally (legislation, safety topics, incidents, inspection
approach, etc.).
5.1 Staff exchanges between ASN
and its foreign counterparts
Better understanding how foreign nuclear safety and
radiation protection regulators actually function is a way
to learn pertinent lessons for the working of ASN itself
and enhance staff training. One way to achieve this goal
is to develop the staff exchange system.
Provision is made for several types of exchange:
• very short term actions (a few days) are a means of
offering our counterparts a chance to take part in peer-
observation of inspections and nuclear and radiological
emergency exercises. In 2015, just under 40 peer
observations were organised in the field of nuclear
safety and radiation protectionwithGermany, Belgium,
Brazil, Bulgaria, China, South Korea, Spain, Finland,
Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland,
Russia and Switzerland;
• short-term assignments (2 weeks to 6 months) aimed
at studying a specific technical topic;
215 CHAPTER 07: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2015