74 DOCTRINAIRE TRENDS IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL LEGAL SUBjECTIVITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL Anna Lucia Valvo * Summary: 1. Introduction. – 2. Sovereignty and international subjectivity. – 3. The alleged legal personality of international organizations. – 4. Individuals in international law: the standing to sue. – 5. The individual in international law: the capacity to be sued. – 6. The responsibility of the individual in the international criminal system. – 7. Conclusions. 1. In recent years, the tendency to give a central role to the individual in the ield of international law has developed in doctrine. In this regard, this approach re- asons in terms of “humanisation” of international law with speciic reference to the inluence that the growing trend towards the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, on the one hand, and the rules of international criminal law, on the other hand, have on the evolution of international law. Hence, there would be an “evolution” of international law by a law of (and for the) States to a law of (and for) individuals. The premise of the asserted international subjectivity of individuals would be the existence of rights of the individuals directly detectable by international law and susceptible of protection before international jurisdictions as well as the exi- stence of (“original”) international criminal rules from which the imputability of the individual as such on an international level would derive. We do not adhere to the theory of the individual subjectivity of the indivi- dual considering, on the contrary, the pre-eminent, indeed, exclusive role of the Sta- tes under the proile of the said subjectivity of international law. This also because of the fact that the rules of international law are the result of the complex of economic, cultural, social and political relations between States. In other words, international law understood as a set of rules endowed with compulsory force aimed at regulating the relations between the States, that is, of those independent and sovereign entities 1 (superiorem non recognoscens), regulates the conduct of the States and not of the individuals. 2. Traditionally, international subjectivity is considered as descended from the typical characteristics of the States, even if, for some time now, part of the doc- trine asks whether this quality can also be found in international organizations, while for individuals the problem has been posed in terms of their capacity to be direct recipients (beneiciaries) of rules of international law. * Full professor of European Union Law at the Free University of Central Sicily “Kore” of Enna. Lawyer at the Rome Bar. 1 Independent in the mutual relations between the States and sovereigns respect to the individuals to whom they exercise their power of dominion. ISBN 978–88–255–1737–8 ISSN 1129–2113 DOI 10.4399/9788825517378-6 pp. 74-83