74 representatives from 25 Member States met in Bucharest with IAEA legal experts to learn about the existing international nuclear liability conventions. The workshop which was hosted by the Government of Romania was part of the Agency’s ongoing efforts to facilitate the achievement of a global nuclear liability regime that addresses the concerns of all States that might be affected by a nuclear accident with a view to providing appropriate compensation for nuclear damage.
Speaking on behalf of the Romanian participants, Mihaela Ion, Head of International Affairs and Communication at the National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (CNCAN), recalled the relevance of the topics of this event for the European countries: “In the actual content of the worldwide development of the nuclear sector, I consider that the substantive rules of civil liability for nuclear damage should be well understood and appropriately applied with the final aim to protect the public and the environment.”
Presentations covered the principles of nuclear liability and their continuing relevance, as reflected in the existing international conventions, in particular those adopted under IAEA auspices. In addition, case studies helped participants understand the practical application of these conventions.
Zeynep Savas Sahin of the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority described the workshop “as a great experience having had a chance to thoroughly examine the provisions of the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy and the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage.” The representative of the Greek Atomic Energy Commission, Adamantia Metaxaki, noted: “This workshop is very important for my work and I have now a much clearer understanding of the similarities and differences of the Conventions.”
The workshop was conducted with the support of members of the International Expert Group on Nuclear Liability (INLEX). Similar events were previously held for countries in Africa, Latin America, and for Caribbean and Pacific Island States.
The following Member States nominated participants for the workshop: Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
In the actual content of the worldwide development of the nuclear sector, I consider that the substantive rules of civil liability for nuclear damage should be well understood and appropriately applied with the final aim to protect the public and the environment.
