The ASN's public information and documentation centre was opened to the public in 2004 for consultation of documentation concerning the areas of competence of the ASN.

This centre offers the public access to all of the ASN's publications. The public can also consult publications about nuclear safety, radiation protection and ionising radiation published by the other stakeholders (CLIs, CSSIN, nuclear operators, IRSN and other technical experts, health safety agencies, radiology and radiation protection learned societies, professional associations, environmental protection associations, and so on).

To meet the specific needs of a certain better informed public, in particular science students and teachers or specialised journalists, the centre also offers a selection of specialised French and English books and reviews, for consultation on the premises. The centre offers on-site consultation of original administrative documents, such as those generated by the public inquiry prior to authorisation for creation or modification of BNIs.

It offers Internet access and viewing of video documents.

In 2005, the ASN's public information and documentation centre met the needs of nearly 1050 people. It sent 1425 ASN publications out to 300 correspondents, answered information requests from 200 web users and 420 phone callers, and welcomed 124 visitors.

In order to meet its duty to inform, the ASN has adopted a policy of close ties with the press.

The press department maintains regular contacts with several dozen national, regional and international journalists and issues press releases primarily concerning:

• the regulatory actions (authorisation to start up or shut down installations, environmental discharge licences, etc );
• the decisions taken and stances adopted on sensitive nuclear safety and radiation protection issues;
• incidents of a certain importance, in particular incidents rated 2 and higher on the INES scale.

The ASN also organises press conferences on a regular basis. At the time of publication of Contrôle , it for example invites the media to review a topical nuclear safety and radiation protection issue. These regular events are also an opportunity for discussions between the ASN and journalists on all topical subjects. An annual press conference is devoted to presentation of the nuclear safety and radiation protection report. It enables the ASN to review the past year and present the priorities for the coming one.

In 2005, questions from journalists chiefly concerned:

• two radiation protection incidents in hospitals: irradiation of an employee in the CEA's Frédéric Joliot unit of the Orsay hospital and a serious incident affecting a patient during radiotherapy treatment in the Grenoble university hospital;
• the 2005 campaign for distribution of iodine tablets to the populations living in the vicinity of the nuclear power plants;
• the repercussions of the drought on the operation of the French nuclear power plants.

The ASN aims to issue high-quality, clear and comprehensible information that is stripped of excessively technical vocabulary. It therefore offers all of its staff training appropriate to their level of responsibility, on the subjects of oral and written communication and emergency management.

In 2005, communication training enabled:

• the ASN senior management, in regular contact with the national and local written and audiovisual media, to practice communications with the media, in particular in the capacity of spokesperson;
• the ASN's inspectors to familiarise themselves with communication and press relations, including in emergency situations, particularly through writing press releases and interviews with radio and television journalists.