Standing Requirements of Private Parties in Actions for Annulment Concerning Regulatory Acts: The State of Affairs 10 Years After the Entry into Force of the Lisbon Treaty

The citizen’s access to judicial reviews is one of the essential components of the rule of law (Etat de droit). The conditions that determine the admissibility of actions for assessment of validity are, therefore, far from insignificant. From the beginning, the Treaty of Rome allowed ‘private parties’ – whether natural or legal persons – to bring an action for annulment before Union judge. However, the conditions relating to the standing of these applicants (locus standi) were interpreted in a restrictive manner in the early years by what is now the Court of Justice of the European Union. This paper makes the point on the interpretation of Article 263(4) TFEU 10 years after the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force.