Experience following the Chernobyl accident in the CIS and the EU has clearlydemonstrated that policies and strategies for long-term management of extensivecontaminated areas must give due importance to social, cultural, ethical, environmental,economic and political factors beyond the sole radiological protection and healthperspective. What is at stake in the long-term response to such a situation is thesustainable rehabilitation of living conditions in affected territories, in a context inwhich each person can actively contribute to his own protection. Preparing or developingrehabilitation of living conditions in a territory affected by long-lasting radioactivecontamination is a broader issue of governance as it must address all affected dimensionsand articulate the actions of the various concerned actors at the local, regional andnational level. To respond to this challenge, a specific research project was implementedby Mutadis, CEPN, NRPA and AgroParisTech from April 2004 to June 2009 in the framework ofthe EURANOS integrated programme. The overall objective of this project was “todevelop a strategic and methodological framework that can inform or assist nationalauthorities in Europe in establishing arrangements for the long-term management and thesustainable rehabilitation of living conditions in extensive areas that may becontaminated as a result of an accident or malevolent act involving radioactivematerial”. The proposed framework describes a two-steps method allowingnational and local authorities together with key stakeholders to establish arrangementsand preparation strategies in the perspective of long-term management of a radiologicalevent. It may also be used to develop rehabilitation strategies in countries affected bylong-lasting radioactive contamination. This framework aims to set up favourableconditions for stakeholders (in particular local communities) to engage effectively andsustainably in the cooperative development of post-accident preparation or managementstrategies. The first step of the method aims to frame the issue and identify conditionsfor stakeholders to engage in rehabilitation preparedness or management strategies. Thesecond step aims to develop a local-national cooperation platform gathering local andnational, private and public actors to develop together preparation or managementstrategies.