NEA Mandates and Structures


NUCLEAR LAW COMMITTEE (NLC)

Chair(s): Roland DUSSART-DESART, Belgium
Secretary:  Ximena VASQUEZ-MAIGNAN
(ximena.vasquez@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s): Florence TOUITOU-DURAND, France
Vanda LAMM, Hungary
Taro HOKUGO, Japan
Andrey SHKARBANOV, Russia
Ben MCRAE, United States
Member(s):All NEA member countries*
Russia (Suspended*)
*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council.
Full participant(s): European Commission
Under the NEA Statute
Observer(s)(International Organisation): Insurance Europe
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
By agreement
Date of creation:24 January 1957
End of mandate:31 December 2022

Mandate (Document reference):

  • Review of the Mandates of the Agency's Committees and Working Groups [NE(74)4]
  • Review of the NEA Committee Structure [NEA/NE(2000)11/REV1]
  • Review of Mandates of the NEA Standing Technical Committees [NEA/NE(2005)2]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 117th Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2008)2]
  • Updated Mandate of the Nuclear Law Committee [NEA/NLC/DOC(2010)1]
  • Review of the NEA Standing Technical Committee Mandates [NEA/NE(2010)7]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 121st Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2010)2]
  • Main Lines of the NEA Programmes of Work for 2017-2018  [NEA/NE(2016)2]
  • Review of the Mandates of NEA Bodies Reporting Directly to the Steering Committee [NEA/NE(2016)5]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 133rd Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2016)2] 

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document NEA/NE(2016)5

Mandate:

In accordance with the NEA Strategic Plan for 2017-2022, the Nuclear Law Committee (NLC) will work to help ensure sound national and international legal regimes required for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including in the field of liability and compensation for nuclear damage, nuclear safety, international trade in nuclear materials and equipment, as well as public engagement.

A significant focus of the NLC is to encourage provisions for equitable compensation of damage in the event of a nuclear incident. In particular, the Committee is mandated to deal with issues relating to civil liability for damage caused by a nuclear incident and financial security mechanisms designed to ensure that funds will be available to compensate such damage. It addresses these issues in the context of member countries’ nuclear legislation as well as international nuclear liability instruments, including: 1) the 1960 Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy and the 1963 Brussels Convention Supplementary to the Paris Convention, as amended; 2) the 1963 Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and the 1997 Protocol to Amend the Vienna Convention; 3) the 1988 Joint Protocol Relating to the Application of the Vienna Convention and the Paris Convention; and 4) the 1997 Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. The Nuclear Law Committee will also strive to eliminate or minimise any legal impediments to the safe use of nuclear energy.

More specifically, the Committee has a mandate to:

i)    examine issues relating to the interpretation and application of international nuclear liability instruments, especially with respect to their harmonious application under member countries’ national laws and encourage broader adherence to those instruments with a view to fostering further progress towards a global regime of liability and compensation for nuclear damage;

ii)   develop recommendations concerning the Paris Convention and the Brussels Supplementary Convention (which were adopted under the auspices of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency), as amended, for submission, if appropriate, to the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy;

iii)  encourage the development, strengthening and harmonisation of nuclear legislation and regulation governing the safe and peaceful uses of nuclear energy, particularly in the areas of liability and compensation, nuclear safety, radioactive waste management and environmental law as applied to nuclear activities;

iv)  promote the harmonisation of national policies and legislation in the nuclear liability and compensation field amongst its member countries;

v)   promote the exchange of information and the sharing of experience between member countries on the above issues;

vi)  advise the Secretariat in its collection, analysis and dissemination of information on major developments in the nuclear law field at both national and international levels.

The Nuclear Law Committee is also mandated to undertake all other work involving legal issues that may be entrusted to it by the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy.

In the fulfilment of its responsibilities, the NLC will be supported by the staff of the NEA Office of Legal Counsel. The Nuclear Law Committee will co-operate with other NEA standing technical committees. It may set up subsidiary bodies to facilitate the achievement of its goals, invite experts in other fields to attend its meetings and sponsor meetings of specialists. It will also co-operate as necessary with its counterparts in the European Atomic Energy Community, the International Atomic Energy Agency and other international organisations on matters of common interest.