The notion of legitimate interest in the Romanian Doctrine of public right

Abstract

Even from the beginnings of the administrative law, the public law doctrine studied the concept of “legitimate interest”, either in opposition, either in correlation with the concept of “subjective right”. The regulations regarding the administrative contentious are based upon one or/and another of these concepts, the later giving the sphere of the administrative contentious of a particular national law system. We will endeavor, through the present study, to realize, firstly, a distinction between “legitimate interest” as a concept of substantial law and “legitimate interest – general condition for the admissibility of a civil claim”, as a concept of processual law. Secondly, we will attempt to formulate our own definition regarding the above mentioned concept, valorizing the definitions already specified in the public and private law doctrine. Thirdly, we will examine the effects of an administrative contentious claim introduced on the grounds of a legitimate interest - either public or private - showing, also, the source of inspiration of the Romanian legislator for this type of claim.