The Contracting Parties and Signatories to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) recently adopted the Terms of Reference for future CSC meetings, during a virtual Preparatory Meeting hosted by the IAEA Secretariat. Participants also took a number of other decisions in preparation for the next CSC meeting, including the election of a chairperson and two vice-chairpersons for that meeting. The preparatory meeting on 24 February was in response to a request by Canada, on behalf of the CSC Parties, that regular meetings of the CSC Parties and Signatories be convened with the IAEA as Secretariat.
“We are glad that the IAEA Secretariat has accepted to facilitate the process of holding regular CSC meetings in the future and that the Terms of Reference for such meetings have been adopted at this Preparatory Meeting. This will greatly facilitate future discussions among CSC Parties and Signatories on issues of common interest,” said Jamie Fairchild of Canada, who chaired the Preparatory Meeting. “Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, the CSC Parties and Signatories have expressed an interest in holding their Second Meeting prior to the end of 2021, if not early in 2022, in order that they may continue to build on the momentum of this Preparatory Meeting.”
At the inaugural Meeting of the CSC Parties and Signatories in June 2019 in Ottawa, Canada, the participants decided that meetings should take place regularly and expressed their preference for the IAEA to act as the Secretariat.
The CSC was adopted under IAEA auspices in 1997 and entered into force in 2015. It currently has 11 Contracting Parties and 11 Signatories that have not yet ratified it. The Convention aims at operating as an “umbrella” for all States that are either party to one of the existing international conventions on civil liability for nuclear damage or have national legislation in place conforming to the principles underlying those conventions. The CSC also envisages an international fund to supplement the amount of compensation available for nuclear damage at the national level.
We are glad that the IAEA Secretariat has accepted to facilitate the process of holding regular CSC meetings in the future and that the Terms of Reference for such meetings have been adopted at this Preparatory Meeting. This will greatly facilitate future discussions among CSC Parties and Signatories on issues of common interest.
