French Code of Criminal Procedure
In forceA duly registered association whose statutory purpose is to defend the victims of an accident occurring in public transport or in a place or premises open to the public or in private property for residential or professional use and which groups together several of these victims may, if it has been approved for this purpose, exercise the rights granted to the civil party with regard to this accident when the public prosecution has been initiated by the Public Prosecutor or the injured party.
The conditions under which the associations referred to in the first paragraph may be approved, after consultation with the public prosecutor, taking into account their representativeness, are set by decree.
Any federation of associations, duly declared for at least five years on the date of the facts and registered with the Ministry of Justice, under conditions laid down by decree in the Council of State, whose statutory object is the defence of the victims of collective accidents, may exercise the rights granted to the civil party, with regard to a collective accident occurring in the circumstances referred to in the first paragraph, when the public prosecution has been initiated by the Public Prosecutor or the injured party.
The associations and federations of associations provided for in this article may claim compensation for costs incurred in connection with the accident and which are the direct or indirect consequence of the offence in respect of which they have exercised the rights recognised to the civil party.
Any foundation recognised as being in the public interest may exercise the rights recognised as a civil party under the same conditions and subject to the same reservations as the association mentioned in this article.
