The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

The IAEA was created in 1957 with a mandate to promote the safe use of nuclear technologies for peaceful purposes. It is an organisation of the United Nations family which in January 2014 comprised 161 member States.

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As far as ASN's areas of competence are concerned, the activities of the IAEA consist more particularly in:

  • Organising working groups at various levels and drafting texts called "Safety Standards" describing safety principles and practices; the member States can use these texts as a basis for their national regulations.
  • Providing the member States with "services" intended to give them opinions on specific aspects concerning safety.
     This category includes the missions of OSART (Operational SAfety Review Team), IRRS (Integrated Regulatory Review Service), TranSAS (TRANsport Safety Appraisal Service).
  • in cooperation with the NEA of the OECD, harmonisation of the communication tools with increasingly wide use of the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) by the member countries.