4.4 Convention on Assistance in the Event of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency The Convention on Assistance in the event of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency entered into force on 26 February 1987 and had 123 contracting parties at the end of 2024. Its aim is to facilitate cooperation between countries should one of them be affected by an accident having radiological consequences. This Convention has already been activated on several occasions as a result of irradiation accidents caused by abandoned radioactive sources. More specifically, France’s specialised medical services regularly provide treatment for the victims of such accidents. 5 The bilateral framework for ASN’s international relations ASN collaborates with about twenty foreign safety regulators under bilateral agreements. These agreements are general information exchange protocols between safety regulators. In certain cases, they can be part of broader Governmental agreements (case of Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland). The countries with which ASN maintains particularly close relations are, on the one hand, neighbouring countries, especially those whose border is situated close to a French nuclear facility and, on the other, the major nuclear countries and the countries using French nuclear technologies. These relations enable strategic information to be exchanged. This is notably the case during high-level meetings, at which points of doctrine and topical subjects for each authority (organisational and regulatory changes, events, feedback, etc.) are covered. They are also an opportunity for exchanges of technical and operational information. Practices can in particular be compared in detail during topical workshops or inspection cross-observations, in order to highlight practices from which ASN can draw inspiration. Many topics were covered throughout the year by ASN and its counterparts, such as the new nuclear context, the reactors fourth periodic safety reviews, stress corrosion, decommissioning, radioactive waste management, the precautionary culture, small modular reactors, management of emergency situations and the transformation of the regulators. 5.1 Bilateral cooperation between ASN and its foreign counterparts SOUTH AFRICA In October 2024, as part of the technical exchanges between ASN and the South African National Nuclear Regulator (NNR), five NNR inspectors were welcomed to ASN’s Lyon regional division. The mission concerned the fourth ten-yearly outages, extension of the service life of the reactors, inspection and oversight practices for reactor outages, and EDF’s Nuclear Rapid Intervention Force (FARN). A remote bilateral meeting was also held between the ASN and NNR managements and confirmed the principle of an equivalent mission at NNR’s Cape Town regional division for ASN’s Lyon regional division inspectors in about one year. In November 2024, two ASN staff members took part in the national emergency exercise at the Koeberg NPP in Cape Town, in order to share ASN’s expertise and know-how in planning and response to nuclear emergency situations. GERMANY The Franco-German Commission was created as an inter-governmental body and involves several competent authorities at both national and local levels. In addition to the Commission’s plenary meetings, two working groups meet regularly, one to address the safety of NPPs in border areas, the other the management of emergency situations. The 50th meeting of the Commission was held in Berlin and Wannsee on 19 and 20 June 2024. The discussions concerned topical subjects and the major issues affecting the two countries, preparedness for emergency situations, monitoring of NPPs close to the Franco-German border and the management of nuclear waste and the status of decommissioning projects. This meeting was also an opportunity for its participants to visit the Helmholtz Centre for materials and energy research in Berlin (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie – HZB) based in Wannsee and more particularly its BER II light water research reactor (shut down), as well as its proton therapy centre. On 17 and 18 September 2024, a German delegation went to ASN’s Strasbourg regional division for the 58th meeting of the NPP safety working group. This meeting was an opportunity to review the current situation of the NPPs close to the border (Cattenom, Fessenheim, Neckarwestheim, Philippsburg) as well as significant events (trend for 2023 and recent noteworthy events) in France and Germany. On 26 November 2024, the working group focusing on preparedness for emergency situations also held a remote meeting. BELGIUM The exchanges between ASN and its Belgian counterpart, the Federal Agency for Nuclear Regulation (Agence fédérale de contrôle nucléaire – AFCN), lead to national and local level cooperation actions, in particular with ASN’s border regional divisions of Lille and Châlons-en-Champagne. These exchanges are coordinated by the Franco-Belgian steering committee, which met in Brussels on 27 November 2024. The two delegations, consisting of representatives from the regulators and their respective technical support organisations, IRSN and Bel V, notably discussed the results of the implementation of the Convention for the rapid exchange of information in the event of a nuclear emergency and the ASNR’s future emergency response organisation. ASN also presented the latest situation at the Chooz and Gravelines NPPs. CANADA In June 2024, as part of the technical exchanges between ASN and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), a CNSC inspector was welcomed to the ASN Orleans regional division. The mission concerned inspection practices in nuclear facilities, with respect to management of safety, monitoring of suppliers and counterfeit, falsification or suspected fraud. CHINA A remote technical meeting between ASN and its Chinese counterpart (National Nuclear Safety Administration – NNSA) accompanied by their respective technical support organisations, IRSN and NSC (Nuclear and Radiation Safety Center) was held on 28 and 29 May 2024, concerning experience feedback from operation of the world’s first two EPR reactors to be have been commissioned, on the Taishan site. SPAIN In 2024, as part of the bilateral relations with the Spanish nuclear safety regulator (CSN), a CSN representative took part in ASN’s public consultation actions on several occasions, concerning the Cigéo creation authorisation application file. She also held discussions with IRSN and the National Radioactive Waste Management Agency (Andra) regarding the follow-up of this file. 204 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2024 International relations
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