Article 3 Entities qualified to bring an action

For the purposes of this Directive, a "qualified entity" means any body or organisation which, being properly constituted according to the law of a Member State, has a legitimate interest in ensuring that the provisions referred to in Article 1 are complied with, in particular: (a) one or more independent public bodies, specifically responsible for protecting the interests referred to in Article 1, in Member States in which such bodies exist and/or (b) organisations whose purpose is to protect the interests referred to in Article 1, in accordance with the criteria laid down by their national law.