The legal background

Abstract

Actions for annulment are the only legal instrument with which member states, other European Union institutions, and even citizens, companies, and interest groups can directly invoke the Court of Justice of the EU. The rules that define the access to the Court and the reviewability of supranational legal acts have evolved considerably since the early days of the European project. While many legal scholars continue to question whether the rules that guide the admission of actions brought by non-privileged actors provide effective judicial protection, the gradual extension of the scope of application of annulment actions, as well as the rising empirical importance of annulment actions over time, reflect the ever-greater powers delegated to the EU and the EU’s increasing internal sophistication.