Every operator is required to set up an internal emergency preparedness programme to handle any event at his facility and the authorities must set up an external emergency preparedness programme to handle the off-site consequences of an accident at a nuclear site.
The aim of the emergency preparedness programme is to ensure that coordinated protection measures are taken for the population and the environment in the event of a radiological emergency. Apart from general organization, the emergency preparedness programme describes the tasks to be fulfilled by the various bodies and services. The Interior Minister oversees coordination of the emergency preparedness programme at federal level; the Agence Fédérale de Contrôle Nucléaire (AFCN) provides technical and scientific assistance for the drafting of programmes; the Agence Fédérale pour la Sécurité de la Chaîne Alimentaire (AFSCA) also takes part in organization activities, as do the Institut Royal Météorologique (IRM), the Centre d'Etude Nucléaire de Mol (SCK*CEN), the Institut National des Radioéléments (IRE), approved bodies such as the Association Vinçotte Nucléaire (AVN) and many other interested parties. The emergency preparedness programme calls for an annual, exercise-based global plan that is used to set up an action plan.
