ParisTech Review

BIO

Born in 1941, André-Claude Lacoste graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and Mines ParisTech.

From 1993 to 2002, he was Head of the Nuclear Installation Safety Directorate (DSIN) under the authority of the Minister for Industry and the Minister for the Environment. In February 2002, his sphere of action was extended to radiation protection. He was appointed Head of the General Directorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (DGSNR). The DGSNR and its regional network of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Divisions (DSNRs), grouped under the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) were answerable to the Minister for Industry and the Minister for the Environment, on the one hand, and the Minister for Health, on the other.

The law of 13 June 2006 on transparency and security in the nuclear field granted the ASN the status of an independent administrative authority. The ASN is responsible for regulating nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in order to protect workers, patients, the general public and the environment against nuclear hazards. It also helps inform citizens in these areas. On 9 November 2006, Mr. Lacoste was appointed chairman of the Board heading this authority.

Mr. Lacoste is a founding member and former chairman of WENRA (Western European Nuclear Regulators’ Association), a coordinating forum for the heads of the 17 nuclear regulatory authorities in Western European countries. He is a also founding member and chairman of INRA (International Nuclear Regulators’ Association). He chairs the Commission on Safety Standards (CSS), which oversees the development of nuclear safety standards for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).