French nuclear testing - challenge in European Court fails

Three residents of Polynesia have been told by the European Court that they do not have standing to challenge the European Commission's decision not to interfere with the controversial French nuclear testing programme in the South Pacific. Although Danielsson and others v Commission of the European Communities (Case T-219/95R Court of First Instance, European Court of Justice, 22 December 1995) was concerned with specific provisions of the Euratom Treaty, the principles raised were very similar to the recent Greenpeace decision above, and underline the hurdles facing third party challenges before the European Court.