The NEA, set up in 1958, comprises all the OECD States, except for New Zealand and Poland, or 29 countries. Its main objective is to promote co-operation between the governments of Member States for the development of nuclear energy as a reliable and environmentally and economically acceptable energy source.

Within the NEA, the ASN takes part in the activities of the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA). During its two annual meetings, the CNRA in particular discussed the impact of experience feedback on regulatory actions and the preconditions for safety harmonisation work for new reactors.

The ASN also takes part in the work of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) which brings together the nuclear safety authorities and organisations responsible for waste management.

In the field of radiation protection, the ASN continued its participation in the Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health (CRPPH).

The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) was created in 1955. It examines all scientific data on radiation sources and the risks they represent for the environment and for health. The reports published by this scientific body, which constitute the international reference, cover subjects such as the hereditary effects of ionising radiation and the consequences of the Chernobyl accident.

This activity is supervised by the annual meeting of the national representations of the Member States, comprising high-level experts, and at which the ASN is represented.

Regular contacts with the European Commission (Directorate General for Transport and Energy - DG/TREN in particular) are a means of reviewing progress and upcoming regulatory work in the field of radiation protection: in particular transposition of directives and the workings of the Euratom Treaty committees.

The ASN plays an active part in the work of the Euratom Treaty committees and expert groups:
– scientific and technical committee (STC);
– article 31 experts group (basic radiation protection standards);
– article 35 experts group (checking and monitoring radioactivity in the environment);
– article 36 experts group (information concerning supervision of radioactivity in the environment);
– article 37 experts group (notifications concerning radioactive effluent discharges).
The ASN also takes part in working groups coordinated by the European Commission and designed to compare certain safety practices in the Member States of the European Union:
- standing working group for the safe transport of radioactive materials;
– advisory committee for radioactive waste programme management;
– CONCERT (Concertation on European Regulatory Tasks) and NRWG (Nuclear Regulators’ Working Group) groups, which should be merged into a new group called the ENREG (European Nuclear Regulators Expert Group).