CSN Bilateral relations

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Bilateral relations

Relaciones Bilaterales

The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) holds agreements, protocols and conventions with organisations that perform similar functions in other countries. The foremost of these agreements are with the regulatory organisations of the USA and France, where huge volumes of information and experience are exchanged and regular bilateral meetings are held.

These agreements are the ideal framework for sharing information and regulatory practices. Through them, ongoing, enriching cooperation is established on the basis of knowledge and experience in the fields of nuclear safety, radiation protection and waste management. At the same time, the organisations involved hold regular top-level steering meetings on the agreement itself, where the parties define subjects of mutual interest and establish an action plan mapping out how to move the agreement forward during the period at issue.

Because the great majority of Spain’s nuclear power plants use technology developed in the United States, the CSN’s relations with the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) are very fluent, and the flow of shared information is quite heavy. Accordingly, in addition to regular bilateral meetings, the CSN holds numerous technical meetings and encourages temporary staff exchanges. In addition to the framework cooperation agreement, the CSN has a specific R&D agreement with the US NRC.

The Nuclear Safety Council also has excellent bilateral relations with Spain’s neighbour, France. The CSN holds an agreement with the French regulatory organisation, the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN). Other cooperation activities with the ASN, in addition to the framework agreement, include the signing of a specific agreement on cooperation in case of emergencies. Spain and France also conduct cross-inspections that are extremely useful for gaining a detailed knowledge and mutual understanding of one another’s practices.