'public action') is one carried out in the name of society against a person accused of a criminal offense [fr] by applying the French penal code.
[2] The term action publique is translated in various ways in English sources, depending on context.
The literal, word-for-word translation is "public action", which is used sometimes in English texts, always with an explanation, as it has little meaning outside the context of French law.
Alongside them, other civil servants are, for certain infractions, empowered to begin other proceedings, notably for indirect taxes, and for the Corps of Bridges, Waters and Forests.
[9] If prosecution moves forward, the victim or complainant is informed, and in criminal matters[a] the prosecutor requests the opening of an investigation (instruction) by means of an opening indictment (réquisitoire introductif) against a named person (or against a John Doe defendant: plainte contre X,[12]) stating the facts that are the subject of the prosecution and the penal code item that applies to it.