走在法律的边缘——公益诉讼的理念、困境与前景

Wandering at the Margin of Law:The Concept,Plight and Future of Public Interest Litigation in China

公益诉讼是为了公共利益而提出的诉讼,公益目的性、公共利益的客观性以及主体的民间性是公益诉讼的三大特征。公益诉讼的理念是通过个案实现公共利益,它将诉讼作为实现公共利益的有效工具,在这一理念指导下,公益诉讼无论在诉讼目的和手段上,还是在诉讼内容和形式上都表现出了极强的特色。目前法院对于受理和审判公益诉讼并不是特别积极,要从根本上改变这一问题,就有必要在立法上逐步放松对起诉资格的限制。在目前的法律制度下,有中央政治决策部门和最高人民法院的支持,公益诉讼仍然具有广阔的发展空间。

Public interest litigation is a type of lawsuit initiated for the protection of public interest.A public interest litigation case should be initiated by civil society for the protection of public interest which can be pursued through the individual lawsuit.Public interest litigation aims to promote public interest through individual lawsuit,making the lawsuit an effective tool to facilitate public interest.Under the guidance of instrumentalism of lawsuit,public interest litigation differs dramatically with ordinary lawsuits either in terms of aims and means or in terms of contents and formalities.Chinese courts are not active in admitting and adjudicating public interest litigation cases at present.In order to change this situation completely,it is necessary to loose the restraint on legal standing in legislation in the long run.However,even under current law,there is a wide range of space for the development of public interest litigation as long as such activities can be supported politically by the central government and the Supreme Court.