Equal rights of foreign citizens in nuclear law as a principle of international law

There is no general answer to the question of whether today national decision-making authorities are obliged by international law to afford interests seated abroad the same treatment as domestic interests in licensing procedures under nuclear law. However, a case for case analysis does indeed show that the principle of equal right of access is already, at last regionally, a component of that part of international common law relating to relationships between neighbours. Despite a continuing lack of international treaties on this matter, the practice of states is in fact converging. The consequence of this is an increasingly strong expectation of the law on the part of foreign populace living close to boundaries that they receive equal participation. (orig.)