Europe has entered the era of nuclear new build. In this respect, microreactors have been identified as an innovative solution for future energy needs. Microreactors can generate electricity, process heat for direct use, or do both. Microreactors are envisioned to provide process heat for industrial applications and to power remote villages where the electric grid is unavailable. They also have significant potential to contribute to the deployment of smart cities—either as a power source for data centers and the further development of artificial intelligence or as a tool for revolutionising water treatment. As portable applications, microreactors can be used to restore power in areas damaged by natural disasters quickly. The environmental impact of reducing greenhouse gas emissions has spurred interest in microreactors, which could play a pivotal role in decarbonisation. This article examines how the Euratom Community (Euratom) may contribute to the future deployment of these emerging nuclear technologies. This paper examines how Euratom, as a technologically neutral community, can contribute to the future diffusion of these emerging nuclear technologies and be able to address current technological innovations, finding its new “raison d’être” for this century.

Data usage and global internet traffic have experienced exponential growth since the mid-2000s, and the trend is expected to continue and even accelerate due to the wide adoption of artificial intelligence. The total global energy demand for data centres now exceeds the consumption of most economies, and they emit around 2% to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. To meet this demand, data centre planners must consider not only the affordability aspects but also sustainability, supply security, and social impact. In this respect, nuclear microreactors have been recently discussed as a comprehensive, emission-free and renewable-led solution for powering the data centres in smart cities, as in the future, they will be capable of supplying cost-effective, clean and reliable energy and creating skilled jobs. Nuclear microreactors, which will likely be deployed in the next decade, demonstrate several significant challenges that differentiate them from nuclear installations that have been in operation. From the authors’ perspective, their miniature character implies a considerable decrease in risks. Also, they may serve as a tool for the decentralisation of power supply and can be located right in the very centre of urban settlements. Lastly, microreactors will be very easily transportable by land, sea, or air. This article argues that the future deployment of microreactors does imply a considerable paradigm shift towards a modern nuclear law. This is very similar to the space sector, where space law has been needed to address the gradual deployment of small satellites and nanosatellites (CubeSats or NanoSats); also, nuclear law is currently being triggered to establish new rules, reflecting this paradigm shift arising from miniaturisation. 

By adopting its own Space Act on 5th October 2023, the Principality of Liechtenstein has joined a growing number of countries in national space legislation. The newly adopted Space Act provides rules for the authorisation of space activities, registration of space objects, and liability and insurance of private operators. Through the Space Act, the 6th smallest country worldwide aims to establish a transparent, predictable and competitive framework for space activities, attracting space innovators, entrepreneurs and start-ups and inspiring a new wave of innovation and progress. It is worth noting that this type of legislation was still absent in the Federal Republic of Germany, Switzerland, and Italy when adopting the new Liechtenstein Space Act. The aim of this article is threefold. Firstly, this article discusses the main pillars of the newly adopted Liechtenstein space legislation. Secondly, it is argued that the newly adopted legislation represents modern and novel legislation. While primarily oriented on commercial use of space, it also provides a solid legal basis for research and development of space utilisation. Lastly, by discussing the inspiration of the newly adopted legislation in the Principality of Liechtenstein, this article aims to demonstrate the ongoing cross-fertilisation between national space legislation in Europe.