[en] After having indicated when the French nuclear reactors have reached or will reach their 40 years of operation, the author addresses the issue of a lifetime extension of these reactors beyond this age. He proposes an overview of opinions and statements of countries, international bodies and agencies regarding this limit and its possible extension. Then, he describes an innovative regime which would allow two objectives to be reconciled: no specification of duration in the creation authorisation, and a process based on the principle of a continuous improvement. He discusses the adaptation of the French legal framework to the lifetime of the French nuclear fleet: a long process which does not result in an authorisation for a ten year extension, and a specific framework for the extension of the operation beyond 40 years.