CYIL vol. 12 (2021)

jakub handrlica – marianna novotná CYIL 12 (2021) only a limited number of States currently participating as Contracting Parties. 47 However, an anticipated accession of more States to the Amended Vienna Convention, in particular those looking toward the future deployment of SMRs, may trigger further developments in this field. One must note that the Czech Republic belongs to the Signatories to the Amended Vienna Convention, yet did not ratify this instrument of international law so far. 5. Conclusion The future framework for prospective operation of SMRs in the Czech Republic requires an efficient and transparent legal framework. The issues of nuclear liability represent one of the most crucial parts of those prospective legal frameworks. Any future liability regime, as applicable to SMRs and to vSMRs in particular, must reflect two separate interests. On one hand, the applicable liability regime must guarantee a high degree of protection to the concerned public and the environment. On the other hand, any future legal framework should remove any unnecessary barriers to further deployment of these new technologies. In this respect, the authors of this article identify the Amended Vienna Convention as a progressive instrument of international law, which is able to cope with these challenges.

47 Argentina, Belarus, Benin, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Montenegro, Morocco, Niger, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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