The NSC advises the Federal Council, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) and the Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (FNSI) on matters relating to the safety of nuclear facilities.
The legal bases are Article 71 of the Swiss Federal Nuclear Energy Act (SR 732.1) and the Ordinance on the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC Ordinance, SR 732.16).
The NSC is a permanent administrative commission, which comprises five to seven part-time members who are specialists in areas of science and technology that are of importance to nuclear safety.
The duties of the NSC are described in detail in Articles 2 to 5 of the NSC Ordinance, and encompass the following main activities:
- Monitoring the status of science, technology and research
- Examining fundamental issues relating to nuclear safety
- Participation in the formulation of regulations
- Submitting statements of position to the licensing authorities
The NSC submits an annual report on its activities to DETEC. Its annual reports are subsequently published.
