CYIL vol. 11 (2020)

JAKUB HANDRLICA CYIL 11 (2020) Consequently, one can presume that a similar event in the future will be capable of changing any existing predictions concerning the future of international nuclear law and lead to some rather new developments in this area. 3. Conclusions The existing scholarship on legal futurism argues that the future of law can be modelled, if analysing the long-term existing trends in a respective area. This article aimed to apply this thesis vis-á-vis the special (sub)discipline of international public law, governing peaceful uses of nuclear energy (i.e. international nuclear law). Addressing this research question, this article argues that future developments of international nuclear law will mainly occur through new regional, or bilateral agreements, or by the adoption of new instruments of soft law. Further, the article claims that one can more probably await the use of flexible mechanisms in existing international agreements, than adoption of new agreements in this field. Finally, the determinants were identified that, to a certain extent limit any predictions of further developments in this field. This is in particular a case of a new nuclear accident with major transboundary consequences. Such an accident is capable of jeopardising any futuristic predictions in the analysed field and may open the way to totally new developments in international nuclear law.

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