ASN Report 2017

194 ASN report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2017 Chapter 07  - International relations resources so that it can participate in the review meetings and be present at the various presentations and discussions. The Vienna Declaration on nuclear safety was adopted on 9th February 2015 by the contracting parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety, who met on the occasion of the diplomatic conference tasked with reviewing a proposal to amend the Convention on Nuclear Safety. At the 7th review meeting, Ramzi Jamal (Canada) was appointed Chairman of the 7th review meeting and Georg Schwarz (Switzerland) and Geoffrey Emi-Reynolds (Ghana) were appointed Vice-Chairmen. Several months before the review meeting is held, each contracting party submits a national report describing how it meets the obligations of the Convention. The French national report was drafted and made public on 11th August 2016, on the IAEA and ASN websites respectively. This report is then subjected to a peer review ahead of the review meeting, which involves the contracting parties asking questions about foreign national reports and answering questions about their own. During the review meeting, the contracting parties present their national reports and take part in discussions, which can then raise additional questions. A summary report, drawn up by the meeting chairman and made public, presents the progress achieved and any difficulties that subsist. After publication of the national report before the deadline, set for 15th August 2016, the next phase began, involving an analysis by each contracting party of the foreign reports made public. The questions and comments resulting from this analysis by ASN were published and shared on the IAEA website before the deadline of 28th November 2016. This was followed by a new phase to draw up answers to the questions asked of France concerning its national report, which were transmitted to the IAEA before 20th February 2017. France asked 311 questions for the 7th review and received 267 questions from the other contracting parties. The final phase of the review process for the Convention on Nuclear Safety concerned the holding of the 7th review meeting from 27th March to 7th April 2017 in Vienna. The 8th review meeting of the Convention on Nuclear Safety is scheduled for 23rd March to 3rd April 2020. 4.2 The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management The Joint Convention, as it is often called, is the equivalent of the Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS) for management of the spent fuel and radioactive waste produced by civil nuclear activities. France signed it on 29th September 1997 and it entered into force on 18th June 2001. As at 31st December 2017, there were 77 contracting parties. The 6th review meeting of this convention will be held at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, from 21st May to 1st June 2018. ASN coordinated the drafting of the 6th report for France, which it submitted to the IAEA on 23rd October 2017. All the French stakeholders in the field take part in the drafting of this three-yearly report which presents the latest progress made in France’s programme with regard to its obligations under the Joint Convention: ASN, General Directorate for Energy and Climate and Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Mission of the Ministry for Ecological and Solidarity-based Transition, Andra, Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), Areva, EDF, CEA, ILL and ITER. Since 23rd October, French experts with an ASN mandate have been examining the reports from the other contracting parties and drawing up questions and comments, which were submitted on 23rd February 2018. ASN collects the questions and comments about the French report from the other contracting parties and will forward them to the stakeholders concerned. The responses to these questions and comments shall be submitted to the IAEA by 23rd April 2018. This peer review process will end with the review meeting during which each contracting party will present its national report. France’s report will be presented by Olivier Gupta, ASN Director General, and by the Director General of Andra, on 23rd May 2018. 4.3 The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident came into force on 27th October 1986, six months after the Chernobyl accident. It had 121 contracting parties as at 31st December 2017. The contracting parties agree to inform the international community as rapidly as possible of any accident leading to uncontrolled release into the environment of radioactive material likely to affect a neighbouring State. A system of communication between the States is thus coordinated by the IAEA. Exercises are periodically organised between the contracting parties. 4.4 The Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency The Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency came into force on 26th February 1987. As at 31st December 2017, there were 115 contracting parties. Its purpose is to facilitate cooperation between countries if one of them were to be affected by an accident with radiological consequences. This Convention has already been used on several occasions for irradiation accidents due to abandoned radioactive sources. France’s specialised services have notably already taken charge of treating victims of such accidents.