Drafting new national nuclear laws and reviewing existing laws and regulations requires extensive and specialized expertise. For many countries this represents a significant challenge.
Established to help Member States adopt adequate national nuclear legislation, the IAEA through its legislative assistance programme published the Handbook on Nuclear Law in 2003. The reference text provides a fundamental understanding of the key elements and principles of national nuclear legislation. The Handbook is widely utilized by Member States, industry and experts.
Today, a second volume of the Handbook is being released, during the IAEA´s 54th General Conference, convening in Vienna from 20 to 24 September.
Wolfram Tonhauser, the manager of the IAEA´s legislative assistance programme, explains that important developments in nuclear law and Member States´ changing needs called for a new volume. "Member States representatives, particularly from countries embarking on new or expanded nuclear programs, will be pleased to find model legislative texts covering all the core branches of national nuclear legislation". He emphasized that "it is particularly important that responsible national bodies carefully assess their country´s current nuclear laws so that they are able to effectively meet the requirements of current and future nuclear activities. Through its legislative assistance programme, the IAEA stands ready to provide assistance and cooperation to interested countries."
Background
Since its publication in 2003, the Handbook on Nuclear Law has provided Member States and interested individuals and organizations with an authoritative guide to the key elements and principles of national nuclear legislation.
Adequately translating these elements and principles into specific statutory language is however a complex and difficult task, particularly for those lacking a detailed background in nuclear technology or law.
The second volume of the Handbook on Nuclear Law will help fill the need for a practical aid in legislative drafting. This new volume, containing updated material on new legal developments, brings together for the first time, in a consolidated form, model texts of provisions covering all aspects of nuclear law.
This new volume represents an important companion resource for the establishment and development of national nuclear legislation. It will assist in the assessment of the adequacy of national nuclear legal frameworks, and help countries in the implementation of relevant international obligations in the field of nuclear law.
This new volume is currently available on-line in English. It will also be available soon online and in hardcopy in the other official languages of the IAEA.