Nuclear energy : third party liability, Protocol on the 1960 Paris Convention

PURPOSE : to authorising the Member States which are Contracting Parties to the Paris Convention of 29 July 1960 on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy to ratify, in the interest of the European Community, the Protocol amending that Convention, or to accede to it. PROPOSED ACT : Council Decision. CONTENT : the Protocol amending the Convention of 29 July 1960 on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy, amended by the Additional Protocol of 28 January 1964 and by the Protocol of 16 November 1982 ("Paris Convention") was negotiated with a view to improving compensation for victims of damage caused by nuclear accidents. It provides for increasing liability amounts and extending the system of nuclear third party liability to environmental damage. In accordance with the Council's negotiating directives of 13 September 2002, the Commission negotiated the Protocol of amendment to the Paris Convention for matters falling within the jurisdiction of the European Community. However, the Council's negotiating directives did not provide for negotiating a clause allowing the accession of the Community to the Protocol. As a result, the Community is not in a position to sign or ratify the Protocol, or to accede to it. Under these circumstances, it is justified, on a very exceptional basis, that the Member States ratify or accede to the Protocol in the interest of the Community. However, three of the Member States, namely Austria, Ireland and Luxembourg, are not Parties to the Paris Convention.�