International relations are important activities for the ASN and are an efficient way of taking nuclear safety and radiation protection forward both in France and abroad.

They enable the ASN and its counterparts to become more familiar with and gain a clearer understanding of their reciprocal operation and the problems that beset them. They also enable assistance to be given to countries that wish to develop or improve their nuclear safety and radiation protection authorities.

They are also the driving force behind the necessary harmonisation of safety and radiation protection principles and standards.

ASN's goal in this field is to develop a common approach to nuclear safety, but without in any way compromising on the fundamental principle: nuclear safety must remain the number one priority. This is the purpose of the work by WENRA, and the public presentation of the results in February 2006 will be a key step towards harmonisation of national practices scheduled for 2010.

This is also the reason for the ASN's active participation in implementing the European Union's nuclear action plan.

WENRA and INRA are also incomparable opportunities for free and informal discussions between heads of nuclear safety authorities. The Director General of the ASN, who was the original creator of these two associations, will chair the INRA in 2006.

The ASN, whose proposals are behind the new part of the INES scale applicable to radiation protection incidents will, under the aegis of the IAEA, be organising an international meeting in March 2006 on the experience feedback from its implementation. The results could lead to more extensive application to medical, industrial or research facilities being envisaged.

The International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) congress scheduled for Paris in May 2006 and participation in the organisation of the world nuclear medicine conference (October 2006, Seoul, South Korea) clearly reflect the importance the ASN attaches to radiation protection.

The ASN will be further reinforcing its international actions in this field through a major restructuring effort. Bilateral frameworks are few and far between and "multi-bilateral" frameworks (associations of radiation protection authority heads) still need to be created. This will lead the ASN to expand the area of the existing arrangements or to sign new arrangements, depending on the organisation of the countries with which it wishes to develop cooperation, as radiation protection is not only an issue in States operating nuclear installations, but is relevant in all countries with modern medical, scientific or industrial activities.

Finally, the ASN attaches prime importance to evaluation of its actions by its foreign peers. This is why:
– on the one hand it regularly asks the IAEA for OSART missions (nuclear power plant operational safety review): in 2011, all EDF plants will have undergone an OSART review;
– on the other, and this is the first time that a safety authority from a major nuclear country has done so, it requested an IRRT mission for a November 2006 assessment of its nuclear safety and radiation protection reference system and regulatory practices.

To conclude, the ASN will continue to act as one of the leading safety authorities on the international stage, making sure that it shares its work with its peers and that nuclear safety and radiation protection principles are implemented worldwide. In order to consolidate its reference status, the ASN will in particular continue its actions so that it can:
– fully assume its responsibilities in international radiation protection regulation;
– promote its organisation and practices for supervision of nuclear safety and radiation protection;
– submit to external assessment by its peers.