BRIEF 2017/6 IAEAfor policymakers Legal The Importance of Having an Adequate National Legal Framework for the Safe, Secure and Peaceful Use of

The annual session of the Nuclear Law Institute conducted by the IAEA at Baden, Austria 2015. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)

SUMMARY agriculture to electricity production and industry. However, nuclear energy and may • It is important to develop and maintain an adequate also pose risks to human health and safety and to the national legal framework to ensure the safe, secure environment: risks that need to be carefully managed and peaceful use of nuclear technology. and regulated. • A broad range of international legal instruments has An important factor here is the development and been adopted under the auspices of the IAEA in the maintenance of an adequate national legal framework areas of safety, security, safeguards and civil liability for regulating and controlling activities related to for nuclear damage. nuclear technology. • The IAEA supports Member States in adhering to and implementing these international legal instruments WHATThe development IS NUCLEAR and maintenance LAW? of an and in developing corresponding comprehensive adequate national legal framework is relevant for national legislation. all States engaged in any activity involving the use of nuclear energy and ionizing radiation, from the INTRODUCTION use of X ray machines for medical purposes to the generation of and the management Nuclear technology holds the promise of signi cant of spent nuclear fuel. bene ts in a variety of elds, from medicine and

S IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication • September 2017 2017/6 IAEAfor policymakers BRIEF for policymakers WHAT IS NUCLEAR LAW? • Safeguards, which refers to measures to ensure The objective of nuclear law is to provide a legal that States’ undertakings to use framework for conducting activities related to nuclear only for peaceful purposes are upheld. energy and ionizing radiation in a manner that adequately Nuclear law also covers liability, which refers to the protects individuals, property and the environment. establishment of mechanisms for compensation of Nuclear law covers three primary areas which need to nuclear damage caused by a nuclear accident. be addressed when developing an adequate national legal framework: Nuclear law has a national and an international component: • Safety, which refers to the protection of people • National – legislative documents (for example: laws, and the environment against radiation risks and to acts, statutes and decrees) that establish rules for the the safety of facilities and activities that give rise safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology; to these risks; • International – a broad range of international legal • Security, which refers to the prevention and instruments has been adopted under the auspices detection of, and response to, malicious acts of the IAEA in the areas of safety, security, safeguards involving nuclear and other radioactive material or and civil liability for nuclear damage. facilities associated with such material;

INTERNATIONAL LEGAL INSTRUMENTS Legal instruments adopted under the auspices of the IAEA establish internationally recognized principles and requirements for the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology. These include legally binding instruments (such as treaties, conventions and agreements) and non-legally-binding instruments (such as codes of conduct, safety standards and security guidance documents). An important element of the national legal framework in a given State is the set of conventions to which a State has adhered or the agreements which it has concluded. By becoming a party to any of these instruments, States assume a number of obligations, and their national legislation must be consistent with them. The relevant legally binding instruments include the following:

SAFETY SECURITY SAFEGUARDS LIABILITY • Convention on Early • Convention on the • Comprehensive • Vienna Convention Noti cation of a Physical Protection of safeguards on Civil Liability for Nuclear Accident Nuclear Material agreements Nuclear Damage • Convention on • Amendment to the • Additional protocols • Protocol to Amend the Assistance in the Case Convention on the to comprehensive Vienna Convention of a Nuclear Accident Physical Protection of safeguards on Civil Liability for or Radiological Nuclear Material agreements Nuclear Damage Emergency • Joint Protocol Relating • Convention on Nuclear to the Application of Safety the Vienna Convention and the Paris • Joint Convention on Convention the Safety of Spent Fuel Management • Convention on and on the Safety of Supplementary Radioactive Waste Compensation for Management Nuclear Damage

S IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication • September 2017 BRIEF 2017/6 IAEAfor policymakers

DEVELOPING AND ENHANCING THE NATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK From the early days of development of nuclear technology to its uses today, it has always been considered that this technology requires special legal arrangements. The national legal framework provides an adequate foundation for the regulation and control of activities involving nuclear technology. Experience in several Member States shows that this may best be achieved through the elaboration of a comprehensive national nuclear law covering all relevant aspects of Nuclear law discussed at the Joint Japan-IAEA Nuclear nuclear regulation and control. Energy Management School. Tokyo, Japan, July 2017. (Photo: Nuclear Energy Management School, Japan) As with other national laws, nuclear legislation is regularly assessed, reviewed and amended as IAEA LEGISLATIVE necessary to identify and address gaps, or to bring ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME the legislation into line with a treaty or convention A broad range of international legal instruments has to which a State is a party or to which it intends to been adopted under IAEA auspices in the nuclear adhere. Laws are also updated to take into account eld. Owing to the complexity and the number of new plans for the use of nuclear applications, lessons instruments, the development and adoption of learned from national or international experiences, national nuclear legislation may be a challenging peer reviews or international best practices. task. Against this background, there is an increasing When assessing, drafting or revising nuclear legislation demand from Member States for legislative assistance and any related laws, legislative drafters consider from the IAEA. whether the national legal framework: IAEA support focuses on: • Covers all activities involving the use of nuclear • Raising awareness among senior o cials and energy and ionizing radiation that are conducted or decision-makers about the importance of the planned to be conducted in the State; international legal instruments adopted under • Provides for the establishment of an independent IAEA auspices and about the importance of regulatory body with clear authority and functions putting in place and maintaining an adequate for nuclear regulation and control; national legal framework; • Contains adequate provisions on safety, security, • Helping States to assess, review and develop safeguards and, where appropriate, liability for nuclear legislation, gain a better understanding nuclear damage; of the international legal instruments, and • Complies with the State’s international legal implement their international obligations; obligations; • Training o cials from Member States in nuclear law • Is clear and consistent, without gaps or overlaps to support national capacity building in assessing, that may have an impact on the discharge of revising and maintaining an up-to-date national regulatory functions. legal framework; • Preparing and disseminating reference materials on nuclear law.

S IAEA Office of Public Information and Communication • September 2017 2017/6 IAEAfor policymakers BRIEF for policymakers

Participants at the regional workshop on nuclear law for Member States of the Latin America region in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, December 2014. (Photo: Ministry of Energy and Mines, Dominican Republic) AREAS WHERE MEMBER STATES MAY • Enhancing knowledge about the various international BENEFIT FROM IAEA ASSISTANCE legal instruments adopted under IAEA auspices for the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technology. • Assessment and update, as appropriate, of their respective national legal framework for the conduct • Availing themselves of the IAEA’s legislative of activities involving the safe, secure and peaceful assistance programme in order to gain a better use of nuclear technology. understanding of the elements of an adequate national nuclear legal framework and the related international legal framework. For further information and support please contact:

Legal Adviser and Director 1997 The Compensation for Nuclear Damage — Explanatory Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and the 1997 Supplementary TextsVienna The 1997 Vienna Convention on Civil O ce of Legal A airs IAEA International Law Series No. 4 The InternationalLiability for Nuclear Damage and the This handbook is a practical aid to legislative1997 drafting Convention that on Supplementary providesLegal model texts Framework of provisions covering the key elements for of national nuclear legislation. Organized alongCompensation the same lines as for Nuclear Damage — International Atomic Energy Agency the Handbook on Nuclear Law, published by the IAEA in 2003, and containing updated material on new legalExplanatory developments, Texts thisNuclear publication represents an Security important companion resource for Handbook This publication reproduces the explanatory texts on the nuclearthe development liability of new or revised nuclear legislation, as well Vienna International Centre instruments adopted under the IAEA’s auspices in 1997. Finalizedas for instruction by the in the fundamentals of nuclearIAEA law. InternationalIt will be Law Series No. 3 (Revised) particularly useful for those Member States embarking on new International Expert Group on Nuclear Liability (INLEX), these texts constitute a or expanding existing nuclear programmes. on Nuclear Law comprehensive study and authoritative interpretation of the IAEA’s nuclear liability regime. More particularly, the texts deal with the Protocol to Amend IAEAthe Vienna International Law Series No. 4 PO Box 100 Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and the Convention on Implementing Legislation Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. The publication includes an This publication brings together the legally binding primary overview, and brings together the texts, of the IAEA’s nuclear liability instruments. international instrumentsIt and also theincludes internationally a matrix of acceptedcomparative provisions in the various nuclear liability 1400 VIENNA non-binding instruments thatinstruments, constitute as the well international as the recommendations legal on how to achieve a global nuclear framework for nuclear security.liability By regime setting that out were the adopted legislative by INLEX in 2012 following a request by Member bases for the mandate of theStates IAEA reflected in the area in ofthe nuclear IAEA Action security, Plan on Nuclear Safety. it is hoped that this book will increase awareness of the IAEA’s AUSTRIA role in facilitating national, regional and international efforts to enhance nuclear security, including measures to protect against nuclear terrorism. It is also intended to guide the IAEA in carrying out the nuclear security mandate and functions assigned Law Series No. 3 (Rev.)IAEA International Tel.: (+43 1) 2600-21500 to it under these instruments, including in the elaboration of nuclear security recommendations and guidance documents. Carlton Stoiber Abdelmadjid Cherf Email: [email protected] Wolfram Tonhauser Maria de Lourdes Vez Carmona INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA ISBN 978–92–0–103910–1 INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA Additional details can be found at: ISBN 978–92–0–100817–6 ISSN 1991–2366 https://www.iaea.org/about/o ce-of-legal-a airs INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA ISBN 978–92–0–111810–3 ISSN 1991–2366

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