On Global Treaty Relations – Hurdles on the Way towards a Universal Civil Nuclear Liability Regime

I. The need for a specialised uniform international nuclear liability regime II. Global treaty relations – an achievable objective? 1. Treaty statistics 2. Reasons for the reluctance of states to adhere to the liability conventions III. Existing elements of a global regime 1. Liability without fault (strict liability) 2. Exclusive liability of the operator of a nuclear installation (legal channelling of liability) 3. Possibility to limit liability in amount 4. Limitation of liability in time 5. Concept of compensable nuclear damage 6. Mandatory financial security to cover liabilities 7. Principle of non-discrimination of victims 8. Competent court, recognition and enforcement of judgements IV. Combining the common elements to establish a uniform system 1. The Vienna Convention – Joint Protocol – Paris Convention Triad 2. The Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage V. A global nuclear liability regime – a goal too far?