The Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage: 60 years of a Quest for a Nuclear Liability Framework
Abstract
On 21 May, 1963, the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage was adopted to establish a universal regime of liability for the newly born nuclear industry. The current anniversary of sixty years since the adoption represents a salient opportunity to evaluate whether the Convention has achieved its original goal, which is to establish a worldwide international regime of civil liability for the nuclear industry.
In this regard, this article addresses the universal aspiration of the Convention and the road towards establishing various "Viennese" regional regimes worldwide. The article analyses those reasons why the original universal ambition of the Vienna Convention hasn't yet been fulfilled.
At the same time, the article also argues that, despite the failure to establish a universal regime for nuclear liability, the Vienna Convention has considerably contributed to the strengthening of liability regimes by the means of international law.