The Formation and Development of the Legislation of the Republic of Belarus in the Field of Nuclear Waste Management

Abstract

The article discusses the formation and development of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus in the field of nuclear waste management, gives a description of the main trends in its development. The legislation of the Republic of Belarus in the field of nuclear waste management establishes requirements for the procedures for selecting sites for the placement of facilities where radioactive waste is handled, requirements for the design, construction, operation and closure of these facilities, as well as for conducting a safety assessment of the relevant facilities. Legal regulation in this area should be developed in such a way that the negative impact on the environment is minimized and the environmental rights of everyone are protected. On the basis of the Author’s approaches, the periodization of the regulatory legal framework of the study area is distinguished. The following stages of the formation and development of legislation in the field of nuclear waste management in the Republic of Belarus have been identified: Stage 1 – Soviet (1954–1985); Stage 2 – Chernobyl (1986–1991); Stage 3 – post-Soviet (1992–to the present), having their own characteristics characteristic of the corresponding period. This division is historically conditioned, since the influence of historical facts was reflected in the development of legal regulation in the field of nuclear waste management. It is also noted that the establishment of a clear delimitation of the competence of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Health in establishing regulatory regulation in the field of nuclear waste management will improve the quality of legal regulation, and will help ensure the systematization and codification of the legislation of the area we are studying. It is concluded that it is necessary to improve legislation in the field of nuclear waste management in close cooperation between representatives of science, through the exchange of scientific and technical information (best practice), which is an important element of scientific, legal, economic and technical development.