On the other hand, the Court’s decisions have far-reaching implications, as recent rulings have confirmed that individuals can also challenge our conduct by seeking damages, in addition to asking the Court to annul our decisions for reasons of illegality.
We need to ensure that all our actions, even when we are not exercising our core decisionmaking powers, also comply with the legal requirements that are intended to confer fundamental rights on individuals at EU rather than national level. The European Ombudsman and the European Court of Auditors also play a role.