Key figures
194 advice notices andIRSN, the French national public expert
in nuclear and radiological risks
IRSN FACT SHEETS

reports published on
www.irsn.fr in 2020

104

responses torequests from local
information committees (CLIs)
and associations in 2020

11IRSN technicalpresentations to CLIs in 2020

240

scientific papers

published annually in peerreviewed journals, on average

The right for the public
to know and toparticipate: a rightenshrined in law
At international level• The Aarhus Convention onaccess to information, publicparticipation in decisionmaking, and access to justicein environmental matters. It
was signed on June 25, 1998
by 39 countries, includingFrance.
At national level• French Law no. 2006-686 ofJune 13, 2006 on transparency
and security in the nuclear
field, known as the “TSN Law”.
• French Law of August 17, 2015
on the energy transition forgreen growth, known as the"TECV Law".

June 2021

www.irsn.fr

Taking into account safety and radiation protection issues related to major nuclear projects and, moregenerally, the use of ionizing radiation, at a time when environmental democracy is gaining ground, civilsociety claims more transparency and wants to actively participate in risk assessment upstream ofpolitical decision-making, thus contributing, through citizen vigilance, to managing these risks.

Transparency and dialog: two requirements included in IRSN’s identity
Given that nuclear and radiation risks, although they are assessed and managed according to definedprocedures, nevertheless concern society as a whole, IRSN has focused on developing a policy ofopenness to society as early as 2003.
This is one of the four strategic areas for progress included in the 2019–2023 Objectives and PerformanceContract linking the Institute to the French government. With a view to establishing a proactive policy inthis area, the Institute created a dedicated unit in 2006 and adopted a Charter on openness to society in2009.
In 2020, the IRSN Barometer on the perception of risks and security by the French continued to highlightstrong public expectations in terms of transparency and information from nuclear stakeholders as wellas in terms of citizen participation. 71% of French people consider that expert bodies making their reports
public is a priority and 89% point out the need for “clear information on the risks of facilities readilyavailable”. Regarding their expectations in terms of participation, 92% said that pluralist structures areuseful, mainly to “better identify risks” and “help reduce risks”.
To meet this expectation, IRSN turns its willingness for transparency into action by posting its advice
notices, reports, work, and scientific papers on its website, thus allowing any citizen to access its work on
nuclear and radiological risk assessment.
Furthermore, the Institute strives, year after year, to respond to questions and requests from local
information committees (CLI) and associations by sharing its knowledge on nuclear safety, environmental
monitoring, and the health of populations and workers, in particular for major issues, through open andsustainable technical dialog initiatives. These regular interactions promote the involvement of civilsociety on technical topics relating to nuclear and radiological risks. These dialog initiatives offer theInstitute the opportunity to consider the growing questioning of society.
For IRSN, this interaction with civil society contributes to its independent and unbiased expertassessment and research work.

IRSN’s commitments to openness to society
IRSN’s policy on openness to society is based on a Charter published in 2009 and structured around sixcommitments.
The first three commitments aim to improve risk assessment through a strengthened dialog with society:increase the transparency of IRSN’s work; share its knowledge; help civil society stakeholders in acquiring
the skills necessary to actively participate and build the risk assessment with their contribution.

Contact
Emmanuelle MurTel. +33(0)1 58 35 96 71
Registered office31, av. de la Division-Leclerc
92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses

The following three are focused on the effective implementation of openness to society: enhance theability of the Institute’s staff to interact with civil society stakeholders; identify and mobilize resources
necessary to further stakeholders’ involvement; carry out an internal policy on openness strategy, andpublicly report on progress achieved as well as problems encountered.
After ten years of implementation of the Policy of Openness to Society, IRSN reviewed the insights.

2019, IRSN reviews its ten years of commitment
IRSN is a French State-owned
industrial and commercial
establishment (EPIC) themissions, status, and operationof which are determined by
Articles L592-45 to L592-49
and R592-39 to R592-61 of theFrench Environment Code.
IRSN is under the jointsupervision of the French
Minister for the Environment,
the French the Minister ofDefense, and the French
Ministers of Energy, Research,and Health.
As a public expert, IRSN
advances scientific knowledge
to manage all nuclear andradiation risks. Through its
research, methods, andinteractions with all
stakeholders, IRSN assesses
these risks and theirconsequences independently.
It thus contributes to theirprevention, detection, and thelimitation of their possible
effects, in order to protect thepopulation and theenvironment.

This review is one of the actions carried out by IRSN’s women and men who commit daily to make theInstitute a society oriented organization. It points out that a sustainable and productive dialog between theInstitute and society has really been established.
This openness policy directly involves IRSN’s experts and “field” researchers with a view to bringing mutual
benefits. As such, citizen involvement also feeds expertise and research by providing different points ofview. This is the case, for example, in the following areas:▪ contributions of questions from the public to technical dialog sessions, organized in partnership withAnccli (National Association of Local information Committees and Commissions), in particular on thefourth periodic review of 900 MWe reactors, the radioactive waste storage project, the public debate on
the fifth French national radioactive materials and waste management plan (PNGMDR), as well as onother subjects, such as the EPR vessel,▪ the development of participatory science projects, such as OpenRadiation, allowing access to and thesharing of citizen measurements of radioactivity in the environment,▪ implementation of pluralist territorial initiatives relating, in particular, to the management of radon risks
in private housing with the active involvement of individuals, regional authorities and administrations,and building professionals,▪ the dissemination among young people of a practical radiation protection culture, in particular throughradiation protection workshops in high schools, annual international meetings involving French andforeign high school students and teachers, as well as radiation protection experts.
This type of coordinated actions:▪ is part of the “sharing” value expressed in the IRSN document “Ambitions & Strategy 2030”;▪ helps improve everyone’s vigilance regarding nuclear safety and radiation protection issues;▪ allows us to build a relationship of mutual contribution, beneficial to all.

2020, the inter-agency Charter on openness to society includes new members
In 2009, IRSN, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses), theFrench Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development, and Networks (Ifsttar), the French
National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks (Ineris), and the National Research Institute ofScience and Technology for Environment and Agriculture (Irstea) signed the inter-agency Charter on
openness to society. They were joined in 2016 by the French geological survey - Frances’s reference public
institution for Earth science application - (BRGM), and the National Public Health Agency (SantéPubliqueFrance), then, in 2020, by the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer) and,as part of the respective reorganization, the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food andEnvironment (Inrae), and the Gustave Eiffel University. Through their activities of scientific and technicalresearch, and assessment, these eight public bodies share the same values of independence, transparency,
and scientific quality of their work, as well as the goal of providing better understanding of the risks andthe means to prevent and reduce them.

Prospects for opening up to society at IRSN
IRSN's review of its ten years of commitment to openness to society highlighted the need to mobilize andbroaden stakeholder networks in order to take up the challenge of civil society participation in risk
assessment. Based on this observation, the Institute set up new interaction and dialog mechanisms meant
to involve new stakeholders, and to create innovative spaces for pluralist dialogs.

Contact
jean-christophe.niel@irsn.fr
Tel. +33 (0)1 58 35 84 89
Registered office31, av. de la Division Leclerc
92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses

Within this framework, IRSN set up a new Committee for openness and dialog with civil society on expertise(ODISCÉ). Drawing on existing committees for dialog in other public bodies in charge of risk assessment,
this pluralist representation committee will include, in particular, manufacturers, elected people,
stakeholder and administration representatives, as well as IRSN experts. Its role will be to advise theInstitute on how to introduce new forms of dialog in nuclear and radiation risk assessment.
Regarding research, IRSN will continue to deploy participatory research projects with a view to testing
various methodological approaches in the fields of health and environment. In particular, the idea is to lay
the consolidated basis for future territorial projects in the area of participatory research on multiple
exposure to environmental stressors, by involving researchers and civil society representatives.