NUCLEAR SAFETY
Commitment: "We stress the necessity of further progress in the establishment of relevant domestic
legislation and in the enhancement of the international regime of nuclear liability as well as in the
preparation
of an international convention on the safety of radioactive waste management"
Overall Grade: +1
Breakdown and Assessment
1) "establishment of relevant domestic legislation":
- the basis for safety measures for nuclear power plants already exists in Germany under the Act on the
Peaceful Utilization of Atomic Energy and the Protection Against its Hazards (Atomic Energy Act); this act
mandates high safety requirements for the approval, construction and operation of nuclear plants as well as
for the disposal of radioactive waste
-
under this act, operators of nuclear power plants must prove that in the event of every conceivable
malfunction, the repercussions on the environment fall within the limits stipulated in the Radiation
Protection
Ordinance. It likewise obligates them to ensure that radioactive waste is used or disposed of in a manner
that
"will cause no harm"
-
the Federal Office for Radiation Protection supports the Federal Government in monitoring application of
the Atomic Energy Act
Grade: +1
2) "we stress...the enhancement of the international regime of nuclear liability":
Germany attended the April 10-11 1997 meeting of the Standing Committee on Nuclear Liability at IAEA
Headquarters where it was resolved to convene a Diplomatic Conference in late August on negotiations
regarding the international legal infrastructure for nuclear activities
Grade: 0 (work in progress)