nucleareurope discusses legal framework for SMRs at joint Swedish government – OECD NEA workshop
On 8 December 2025, nucleareurope Legal and International Relations Director Berta Picamal participated in a Stockholm-held workshop on legal considerations for the deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The workshop, co-organised by the Swedish government and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD NEA), brought together legal, technical and policy experts from the government and private sector to discuss the unique legal challenges posed by advancements in small modular, transportable, maritime, and Generation IV reactors.
As part of the event, Berta took part in a cross cutting panel on the topic of authorising SMR designs. She noted that installed nuclear capacity in the EU is set to grow from around 100 Gigawatts (GW) today, to close to 150GW by 2050, and stressed that all technologies will be needed to reach that objective, including long-term operation of existing power plants, as well as large and small new build.
“Small Modular Reactors will play a key role in the future European energy system, alongside large reactors. It is thus essential to cooperate to accelerate innovation in the sector, but also to address potential regulatory challenges” highlighted Berta, noting the role of the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs in fostering collaboration on such topics.
Berta then discussed overarching rules guiding SMR authorisation procedures, such as the need for compliance with the EU legislative framework, as well as the sovereignty of Member States regulators. She added that one of the main challenges today is the variety of licensing approaches in the EU, with unique approaches in each member State, potentially leading to 27 different approaches.
Concluding her intervention, Berta detailed pathways to address these challenges, including engagement through early dialogue between SMR designers and regulators, cooperation between interested regulators on a joint safety pre-assessment of mature designs, as well as identification of potential blocking points in safety requirements or licensing processes.