France's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have signed an agreement to cooperate in emergency preparedness.

The signing of the memorandum of cooperation (Image: IRSN)

Jean Christophe Niel, director general of IRSN, and Brian Holian, director of the NRC Accident and Emergency Response Department, signed the memorandum of cooperation on 13 March at the NRC's offices in Rockville, Maryland, where the annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC 2019) took place.

The agreement calls for IRSN and the NRC to intensify cooperation and exchanges for emergency preparedness. In particular, cross-participations are planned as observers during exercises in France and in the USA. The two organisations will compare the methods of analysis and diagnosis/prognosis, as well as the calculation codes used in a crisis situation.