Presentation
France is committed to nuclear disarmament (first pillar of the NPT). Its action is threefold :
– France promotes a progressive and pragmatic approach, in accordance with the NPT’s article VI, based on the principle of undiminished security for all
– France takes concrete actions in favor of disarmament. It reduced its arsenal to the lowest level compatible with the strategic context, and irreversibly dismantled its fissile material production facilities in full transparency
– France set priorities for progressive disarmament by promoting its next logical steps : the early entry into force of the Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the negotiation at the Conference on disarmament of a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty (FMCT), further work on the verification of nuclear disarmament, and arms control.
KEY FIGURES
***300
Total ceiling of nuclear weapons announced in 2008 by France and reaffirmed in 2015. France was the first nuclear-weapon State to publicize its entire nuclear arsenal.
***1992
The year France stopped plutonium production for nuclear weapons ; similar measure was taken in 1996 for highly enriched uranium for nuclear weapons.
***1998
The year France, with the United Kingdom, ratified the CTBT.
***1/3
In 2008, France announced the reduction by a third of the airborne component of its nuclear deterrence force.
***- 50%
France has halved its nuclear arsenal in 10 years between 1991 and 1995 accordingly with its strict sufficiency doctrine
***0
France no longer has nuclear testing facilities or facilities producing fissile material for nuclear weapons.
***75 million euros
is the total cost of the denuclearization of the Albion plateau completed on 25 February 1998.
***12 billion euros
is the total amount France spent in dismantling its former facilities producing fissile material for nuclear weapons.
***16 CTBT monitoring stations and 1 radionuclide laboratory
are set up by the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) on national territory. The CEA realizes 8 others stations in foreign countries with which France has cooperation agreements. These stations cover all of the four technologies under the CTBT.
***7 million euros
is France’s annual contribution to the budget of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).