EURATOM AND IAEA SAFEGUARDS IN FRANCE: CURRENT SITUATION AND
FUTURE CHALLENGES

With the exception of mining, France has a complete nuclear fuel cycle, from ore concentrates to radioactive waste. Based on the legal framework of the Euratom Treaty, all civil nuclear materials, associated facilities or associated activities are safeguarded by Euratom wherever they are in France. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards are applied in conjunction with the European Commission under the tripartite Voluntary Offer Agreement concluded between France, the Community and the IAEA, and its Additional Protocol. This paper recalls France's obligations to comply with the Euratom Treaty and international agreements on nuclear materials, and then presents the different stakeholders (authorities, main nuclear operators) and the installations subject to these controls (nearly 180 material balance areas). A summary of the safeguards, inspection and monitoring activities of each operator contributing to the different phases of the fuel life cycle is provided: - Conversion, enrichment, reprocessing, Mox fuel fabrication and storage operated by Orano, - Fuel targets fabrication operated by Framatome, - Nuclear power plants operated by Electricity of France (EDF), - Research and development conducted by the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), and - Radioactive waste management facilities and disposals by the French National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (ANDRA). Finally, the authors outline the challenges facing their activities with the arrival of major new projects (new EPR2, SMR, etc.) of importance in the context of the national energy strategy for the decarbonisation of the economy and in the current context of tensions caused by the energy crisis due to the conflict in Ukraine. This paper presents the views of both the national authorities (Euratom Technical Committee, CTE and its technical support, Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety, IRSN) and the operators of French nuclear installations.