With regard to environmental supervision, 2005 was marked by improvements to the regulatory requirements concerning the national network of environmental radioactivity measurements (above-mentioned order of 27 June 2005). This process is reaching its conclusion with the modification in progress to article R. 1333-11 of the Public Health Code. This regulatory framework improves the examination of approval applications submitted by the laboratories, the number of which is rising significantly.

The coming years will enable the ASN, together with the IRSN, to define the national radiological monitoring strategy and develop the network as an information tool.

The sustained efforts devoted to supervision and reduction of the impact of nuclear installation discharges will be continued. This approach will lead to the issue of several discharge licenses in 2006. The ASN will initiate a programme of work designed to improve the conditions for retrieval of the results of discharges monitored by the operators, particularly so that they are more easily accessible to the public.

The modification to the interministerial order of 31 December 1999 establishing the general technical regulations for preventing and limiting detrimental effects and external hazards resulting from the operation of basic nuclear installations, will also give the ASN a better opportunity to ensure that the steps taken by the operators conform to the new regulatory requirements, in particular with regard to preventing the development of legionella.

The ASN will ensure that the nuclear operators correctly apply the revised criteria for declaring significant events within BNIs, particularly in the environmental field. This examination will be conducted with the goal of maximising the lessons learned from experience.