ASN aims to maintain closer ties with all industrial and research stakeholders and organisations. ASN will in particular be reinforcing its checks on the extent to which opting to use radioactivity when issuing its licences is justified.

A draft decree was prepared. It was made available on ASN's website in September 2005, thus enabling the various stakeholders concerned, but also the general public to submit comments. It updates the provisions of the Public Health Code, with the following objectives:

• to transpose Council Directive 2003/122/Euratom of 22 December 2003 on the control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources and orphan sources;
• to introduce administrative simplification measures, particularly with regard to the ionising radiation source licensing and notification procedures, incorporating the experience acquired in application of the new regulations;
• to supplement requirements concerning regulation of radiation protection;
• to provide clarifications and additional data in the wording of a number of provisions already in force.

These changes to the Public Health Code (three systems: exemption, notification and licensing, instead of two; corporate body instead of the physical individual alone; possibility of setting a licence period other than the current five years) should make ASN's regulatory work more efficient and effective.

Finally, during the course of its regulation, ASN will remain vigilant with regard to the use of ionising radiation sources in the industrial and research fields.

With regard to the regulation of ionising radiation applications in industry and research, the main issues for ASN primarily concern the extent to which the licensees take account of the risks involved in the use of ionising radiation. This problem is accentuated by the diversity and numbers of the parties involved. The serious accidents which occurred abroad, such as that in Senegal and Ivory Coast, again underline the need for scrupulous application of the regulations and stringent operational practices. ASN has therefore continued with definition of its priority actions, while optimising use of its resources:

• headquarters has continued its work targeted at the suppliers, concerning both review of the licensing dossiers and the regulation of these organisations;
• the regional levels have gradually taken charge of investigating a certain number of licence applications (gammagraphs, gammadensimeters, paint lead detectors, unsealed sources), creating close links between the users and their authority, and have continued to carry out checks and inspections on the users.

At the same time, the gradual increase in ASN's resources has continued, with the recent appointment of radiation protection inspectors, so that the safety authority is able to carry out its duties in full, with about 500 inspections scheduled for 2007.

During the course of its regulatory activities, ASN must remain vigilant and determined in dealing with any incidents that could have serious consequences for workers or for the public. Following the gammagraph source incidents, it reminded the gamma radiography profession on two occasions of the importance of abiding by radiation protection rules.

The action initiated in previous years will also be carried on and supplemented by:

• continuation of the work to update the licences issued to the manufacturers and suppliers of radioactive sources and the actions undertaken concerning the research sector;
• application of the licensing system to electrical generators of ionising radiation used in industry and research;
• visits carried out in particular to the users and those in possession of gammagraphs and gammadensity meters; and
• rationalisation of licences within the establishments whenever possible, with continuation of this particular objective, which will be made easier by the planned changes to the Public Health Code.