Ruby thanks for your reply....I also appreciate the other replies, I was reading through them while supping a bordeaux and eating garlic flavoured amphibious limbs.
I did manage to make contact with someone in France, Franck Didieux, who was able to provide me with the following information:-
Dear Shaun,
Right now, the fire safety in the ERP (Public Buildings) is ruled by the Fire Safety Regulation for the ERP (1980-06-25 Decree).
All the updated content is available here :
http://www.sitesecurite.com/frames.asp unfortunately in french (but this regulation is a frenchy-french one...

)
obs : the type O deals with hotels.
This is mostly a prescriptive regulation, with lots of obligations and rules to be followed.
There are currently 3 opened areas to fire safety engineering within this regulation :
- smoke control (Article DF1, DF4, and technical instruction IT246 (2004-03-22 decree))
- use of combustible insulating materials (Article AM8, and Guide d'Emploi des Isolants Combustibles (Guide for the use of Combustible Insulating materials / 2004-10-06 Decree))
- control of fire propagation via facade of a building (technical instruction IT249)
For these areas, it is written in the regulation that you may either follow the rules, or prove the performance of the system through an engineering study.
The regulation however gives a frame of what should be found in such a a study.
There is a national program of study that currently reaches its end. Its name is PN ISI :
http://pnisi.cstb.fr/default.aspxThis program currently studies the way to be followed to go from the current situation (partial opening) to the future situation (less partial opening ? full opening ?)
Things are still under discussion, as a consensus is hard to find. I don't think this will lead to any standard, rather decisions from the government through decrees.
Thanks
Shaun