The import of radioactive waste into the territory of Russia as a violation of the citizens’ constitutional right to healthy environment

Nuclear energy is an integral part of the energy industry in almost all developed countries and one of the most perspective directions of energy production. Still, there is a tendency of limiting the use of nuclear power plants. Environmental hazards of reprocessing of spent radioactive fuel has led to abandoning the recycling these materials by many countries. Only four countries do reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel today. Russia allows the import of spent nuclear materials for reprocessing to its territory from other states. There are many problems related to the import of radioactive waste into the Russian territory. One of them is the violation of the constitutional right of citizens to a healthy environment protected by the Constitution, laws and regulations. However, certain provisions of Russian laws do not allow the Russian social institutions to control the volume of imported waste and monitor negative backwash of their processing and disposal within Russian territory. Article 42 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation guarantees to every citizen the right to a healthy environment and providing reliable information about its condition. Those laws, which allow the importation into the territory of Russia of spent nuclear fuel, in many aspects contradict to the provisions of the Russian Constitution. Russian laws are focused mostly on fostering the measures for improving technology of disposal and storage of the spent radioactive waste. The study of foreign legislation could help to formulate useful proposals on improving the Russian legislation, bringing it into line with the spirit of Constitution.

About the author: Vladislav Filipov –  MA student, Law Department, Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

Citation: Filipov V. (2017) Vvoz radioaktivnykh otkhodov na territoriyu Rossii kak narushenie konstitutsionnogo prava grazhdan na blagopriyatnuyu okruzha­yushсhuyu sredu [The import of radioactive waste into the territory of the Russian Federation as a violation of the constitutional right of citizens to healthy environment]. Sravnitel’noe konstitutsionnoe obozrenie, no.2, pp.121–132. (In Russian).

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