set in its 2017-2022 Strategic Plan, in which credibility derives from the trust Spanish citizens have that the Council will protect them from radiation, without touching on pro- or anti-nuclear feelings, as stated by Muñoz (2012:34).

Transparency is an objective of the CSN, which leads it to facilitate citizens’ access to information so as to enhance their understanding of the regulatory process, aiming to reduce the asymmetry of the information. The CSN understands that, as the competent authority, it has more accurate data than the national authorities and the Spanish public.

The CSN’s instruction IS-19 of October 22, 2008, on the requirements of the management system for nuclear installations, has two clauses of interest to this study. Point five –which refers to the responsibilities of members of the management– covers the importance of satisfying interest groups (5.2): “Senior managers shall bear in mind the expectations of interest groups in the activities and interactions of the processes of the management system, in order to raise the level of satisfaction of said interest groups and, at the same time, to guarantee that safety is in no way compromised”.

Point seven in this instruction deals with the execution and implementation of several processes and covers the subject of communication (7.3.16): “Information relevant to safety objectives, health and safety at work, environmental protection, physical safety, and other economic or quality objectives shall be made known to the members of the organization and, whenever necessary, to other interest groups”.

Another regulated commitment of Spanish nuclear plants is to follow the directives of the Basic Plan for Nuclear Emergencies18 (PLABEN) and the implementation, in case of emergency or incident, of its specific plans19:

Table 1. Exterior Nuclear Emergency Plan (PEN) by plant

Source: Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear): www.csn.es.

These plans for exterior response (PEN) include among their functions –during the emergency– notifying any affected population, the Civil Authorities and the mass media. When an emergency takes place, the director of the PEN20 must have a communication team responsible for informing interest groups about any risks that the accident may pose, and about protection measures in the emergency plan itself. This team will be composed of representatives of the government and