The system of legal regulations and supervisory powers in the German Atomic Energy Law

The first part of the book deals with the practical implementation of the legal provisions governing examination and subsequent licensing and judicial restraint, and the effects of actual practice on the energy industry, for the purpose of showing the chain of cause and effect of the frequently lamented delays in the further utilisation of nuclear energy, and of analysing the role of the administrative courts in the process, pointing to the explosiveness in terms of economics of this issue. The second part analyses the risk assessments from the legal and technical point of view in order to ascertain whether the findings of risk assessments are suitable to serve as scale models for decisions to be taken by the courts. The third part is a critical evaluation of the numerous attempts to incorporate the general doctrine of discretionary power into the system of atomic energy law in a way conformable with the existing system. This analysis resulting in the statement that the attempts have failed so far, the fourth part of the book discusses the necessity to look for other solutions, among other things by critically screening the dogma of discretionary power. The author comes to the conclusion that judicial restraint is to be cut back in the licensing procedure, however not to the extent that control over the authorities is abandoned altogether, but rather in such a way that the power of administrative courts does not develop into judgments executing the law. It is to be avoided that licensing procedures for nuclear power plants degenerate into 'administrative procedures preceded by administrative procedures'. This may not be confounded with giving up all possibilities of legal protection. (orig./HSCH)