3. Legislative and regulatory frameworks

The management of radioactive waste requires strict supervision by the public authorities. In this respect, France has progressively equipped itself with substantial resources. France has a century-long tradition in the use of natural and artificial radioactive materials, and over the past 60 years has gradually mastered the operation of facilities for harnessing nuclear fission energy, from uranium mining to the storage of short-lived waste, including the industrial reprocessing of spent fuel assemblies and the storage of the resulting waste. Fifty-eight reactors produce 430 TWhé/year for an installed capacity of 63 GWe. In parallel with the technical mastery of nuclear power, France has made progress in the legislative and administrative framework for nuclear activities, particularly in the management of radioactive waste, to the extent that the classification of radioactive waste is now...