The French Approach for Control and Protection of Nuclear Materials in the Industrial, Medical and Research Fields

France has developped a comprehensive fuel cycle from mine to reprocessing plants, and is also a nuclear weapon state which has signed the Non Proliferation Treaty. Beside these civil and military activities, nuclear materials have been used since tens of years in several fields including industrial, medical applications and research activities. Considering its nuclear situation and conscious of its national and international responsibilities in terms of national public security and nuclear non proliferation, the French government set up a national safeguards system under the authority of the Ministry for Industry whose mission is to ensure protection and control of nuclear materials and to ensure protection of the facilities against malevolent actions. This national system deals with nuclear materials held by small users in the abovementioned activities.