The evolution of physical protection recommendations: a French reading

As a preliminary description, the paper first shortly presents the French regulatory basis in the field of physical protection, its links with the existing international instruments and recommendations. The organization for the expertise and control of the physical protection system is introduced, together with a brief overview of the extent of the French nuclear industry. The paper then evokes the spirit underlying the French approach to the fourth revision of Infeire 225. The evolutions of the recommendations are reviewed with a special emphasis on points such as the articulation between operator and authority, defence in depth, and sabotage. For each of these points a comparison of the new recommendations and the present approach in France is made. In the light of this review, some questions about low attractivity material, in waste or coming from decommissioning, which need further global reflections, are addressed. Finally, the global impact of Infeire 22 in France s assessed in the light of the international context.