The International Expert Group on Nuclear Liability (INLEX) held its 25th meeting from 17 to 19 June 2025 at the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna. Experts from around the world gathered to discuss various issues of civil liability for nuclear damage.
During the three-day meeting, INLEX members discussed recent developments in the field of nuclear liability, the geographical scope of the 2004 Paris Convention, the revised Vienna Convention, and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), as well as the current liability limits of the Parties to the 1963 Vienna Convention. The group also discussed the understanding of the term "for use" provided in the 2014 IAEA Board of Governors resolution (GOV/2014/63, derestricted 2017-06-09) on the exclusion of small quantities of nuclear material from the scope of the 1963 and 1997 Vienna Conventions and the CSC, and the related 2016 OECD/NEA Steering Committee decision.
The Group once again considered liability issues related to small modular reactors (SMRs) and nuclear-powered civil merchant ships. In addition, the Group discussed possible updates to the IAEA's explanatory texts on nuclear liability conventions (The 1997 Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage and the 1997 Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage - Explanatory Texts; The 1988 Joint Protocol Relating to the Application of the Vienna Convention and the Paris Convention - Explanatory Text).
Workshop for Diplomats Highlights Key Nuclear Liability Issues
Ahead of the INLEX meeting, the IAEA, with the assistance of some INLEX members, held a workshop on civil liability for nuclear damage for Vienna-based diplomats titled, "A Call for Action on the Global Nuclear Liability Regime: Key Policy and Legal Considerations." The workshop highlighted the increasing importance of the legal frameworks addressing civil liability and compensation in the event of a nuclear accident, as more countries turn to nuclear energy-including traditional Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) and SMRs.
In this context and for the first time, the workshop addressed the relevance of the global nuclear liability regime as called for annually by the IAEA's General Conference, for NPP operating countries, newcomer countries and neighboring countries, as well as coastal states. The final session of the workshop focused on the pathways towards the global nuclear liability regime.
About INLEX
Established in 2003 as an advisory body to the IAEA Director General, INLEX currently consists of 21 members serving in their individual capacity and serves as a forum of expertise to explore and advise on issues related to civil liability for nuclear damage.
INLEX works to enhance adherence to an effective nuclear liability regime in nuclear and non-nuclear countries around the world, based on the nuclear liability instruments adopted under the auspices of the IAEA. Additionally, the Group assists the IAEA in the development and strengthening of national nuclear liability legal frameworks in IAEA Member States.
Last year marked two decades of the Group's work and the publication of the book 'International Expert Group on Nuclear Liability (INLEX): A Collective View on The First Two Decades
