Glossary of Legal and Administrative Terms

Act Ex Officio

The person who initiates the process does so at their own request without waiting for any of the interested parties to indicate it.

Administrative Act

It is a declaration of will, judgment, knowledge or desire made by the administration in the exercise of an administrative power other than the regulatory one.

AEPD (Spanish Data Protection Agency)

Is the independent control authority that ensures compliance with data protection regulations and guarantees and protects the fundamental right to the protection of personal data.

Allegations

Argumentation

Appellant

He has initiated an appeal, plaintiff.

Bidding

Auction in which a price is offered for something

BOE (Official State Gazette)

The official bulletin of the state is the official newspaper of the Spanish State in which the approved or amended legal rules are published; it also includes acts and official announcements that must be communicated.

Boost

Induce the performance of the administrative action

Capacidad Jurídica

Attribution given by the legal system to natural or legal persons to be holders of rights and obligations.

Capacidad Para Obrar

Supposes the attribution by the legal system of the capacity to act and exercise the rights and duties that the law grants.

Certificado Electrónico

It’s a document signed electronically by a certification authority, which allows legal and technical guarantee of the identity of each Internet user.

Comarca

It’s an entity that brings together several municipalities with common interests in terms of service provision and management.
However, in no case can they imply the loss of unavoidable powers by the municipalities. 

Its creation and regulation corresponds to the Autonomous Communities.

Comisión Europea

The European Commission or College of Commissioners is the main body
executive of the EU and represents the common interest of all member countries.

Comisión Parlamentaria

It’s in charge of drawing up the proposals that will later be submitted for debate in Parliament.
There are twenty permanent committees specializing in different fields and two subcommittees.

Commonwealth

It is an associative entity integrated by several municipalities whose purpose is the execution of works or provision of common services within their competences

Competencia Impropia

Are those powers exercised by municipalities being the responsibility of another Administration.

Comunidad Autónoma

It is a political and administrative territorial entity, which the Constitution recognizes 

and which it endows with legislative and executive initiative.

Concesionario

Person or entity to whom a concession is made.

Confirming

It is an administrative-financial service, by which a financial entity manages the payments that a company has with its suppliers,

giving the latter the option of advancing the collections

Consejo De La UE O Consejo De Ministros

The council is the main decision-making body of the EU, together with the European Parliament.

It is where most of the European legislation is adopted and where the different policies are coordinated.

The different governments of each of the member states are represented.

Consejo Europeo

It brings together the different national and European leaders, with the aim of establishing the general priorities of the EU.

Contrato De Compraventa

One in which one of the contracting parties undertakes to deliver a certain thing and the other to pay a certain price for it, in money or a sign that represents it.

Contrato De Trabajo

Agreement between employer and worker, whereby the latter undertakes to provide certain services on behalf of the employer and under his direction, in exchange for remuneration

Contrato Público

Those contracts in which at least one of the parties is a Public Administration.

Contratos Menores

They are intended to streamline and simplify award procedures in cases of small amounts and temporary duration.

With amounts less than €40,000 in works contracts and €15,000 in supply or service contracts.

Contratos Privados

Are those that are formalized between contracting parties that are not Public Administration.

Court Of Accounts

The European Court of Auditors (TCE) supervises and controls the proper functioning and proper administration of finances and community funds.

Court Of Justice

Is the institution in charge of interpreting EU law, ensuring that it is applied in the same way in all member countries. It is made up of three courts: the Court of Justice (resolves preliminary questions raised by national courts), the General Court (focuses on matters relating to competition, aid, trade, agriculture and trademark law) and the Court of Public Service (resolves disputes between the EU and its staff).

Criptografía

Set of techniques that guarantee that a message is only understandable by the person to whom it is addressed, 

also ensuring that the message has not been modified.

De Oficio

Without a denouncement.

Derecho

Set of rules and principles, inspired by the ideas of justice and order, which regulate the coexistence of a society.

If they are not complied with voluntarily, the State is entitled to impose said norms and principles, and sanction non-compliance.

Desierto

Procedure for which there are no candidates

Documento Público

Those documents authorized by a notary or competent public employee. 

They have powerful effects, specifically regulated by law, which far exceed those of a private document, since they do not require any verification or contrast.

(DOUE) Diario Oficial De La Unión Europea

The Official Journal of the European Union is the official bulletin in which the legal provisions of the EU and other official documents of the European institutions and organizations are published.

Elemento De Juicio

Assessment criteria

Elevar A Público

It refers to the private contract having to be a public document, as happens when we go to the notary to sign a contract of sale of a property.

Empresa

An organisational unit engaged in industrial, commercial or service-providing activities for profit. It is an entity characterised by its duality as a legal and economic entity.

Enmienda

Elemento de juicio

Entidad Asociativa

Its purpose is to promote and defend the interests of the local entities that form it and to represent them before the State and regional administrations.  At the national level, there is the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP), although there are also federations of their own in some Autonomous Communities.

Entidad Inframunicipal

These are population centres that are territorially separate from the main urban area to which they belong. Their creation and regulation is the responsibility of the Autonomous Regions.

European Central Bank

The European Central Bank and the national central banks of the countries belonging to the euro zone form the Eurosystem, whose main objective is to maintain price stability, that is, to safeguard the value of the euro. The ECB directs and applies the single monetary policy in these countries.

Evicción

Deprivation of the purchaser of the purchased goods, by final judgment and by virtue of a right prior to purchase

Expendable Good

Movable property that cannot be used in accordance with its nature without being consumed.

File

Ordered set of documents that a person, company, institute or any type of organization that produces the exercise of its functions or activity. The term can also refer to the physical space where the documents are located

Firma Digital

It is the set of data relating to a person consigned electronically, they must be used by means of identification of the signed with the same value as the handwritten signature

Foreign Action Of The State

Capacity of the subjects of international law to enter into relations with the other subjects of international law. The foreign action of the state is carried out by those bodies that carry out activities with an international scope.

Forgeign Action Of The State

Ordered set of actions that public bodies and administrations carry out abroad in the exercise of their powers

Good Body Furniture

They are tangible and inanimate goods, which can be moved from one place to another.

Holder Of A Right

Owner of a right.

Immovable Property

Listed in article 34 of the CC. Among others, the land, buildings and constructions attached to the ground, everything that is attached to the property in a fixed way, paintings and ornamentation objects, machines, administrative concessions, etc.

Incoar

Initiate a process, lawsuit, file or other similar action

Instruido

Processed, made known

Interesado

Involved, affected, having an interest in something

Interponer

Formalize the appropriate appeal

Jurisprudencia

It is the set of sentences and interpretations of the laws that link to subsequent processes that deal with similar cases.

Landlord Of Things

One of the parties undertakes to register the enjoyment or use of a thing for a certain time and a certain price

Lessor

Person who undertakes to cede the use of the thing, execute the work or provide the service

Licit

Fair, permitted, which is law

Mediador De Seguros

Professional who performs the activity of mediation between policyholders and insured, on the one hand, and insurance or reinsurance companies, on the other.

Metropolitan Area

Local entity formed by bordering municipalities, of large urban agglomerations and with exonomic and social links. That requires the management of certain services jointly. Its creation and regulation corresponds to the autonomous communities

Municipio

The municipality is the basic territorial entity, with legal personality and capacity for the fulfillment of its purposes. As such, it has the organization and powers to achieve its objectives.

Nota Simple

Informative document issued by the Property Registry, and that allows knowing who is the owner of a property and what charges they have at the time of the request. In this way, the tenant ensures that the property or premises that he is going to occupy is free of charges and is legalized.

Notificación

Document containing the communicated resolution.

Recurrente

He has initiated an appeal, plaintiff.

Recurso Administrativo

This is the way in which interested parties request the administration to modify or annul administrative acts that they consider to be contrary to the legal system.

Reglamento

These are written rules of a lower rank than laws and are issued by a public administration.

Renting

Is the contract for the lease of non-expendable movable property, both productive and consumer, whereby the lessor, apart from ceding the use of the property to the lessee, offers him the option of replacing and extending it

Repudiar

Reject, not accept

Resilencia

Ability to overcome diverse circumstances with positive results

Revocar

To annul a concession, mandate or decision.

Signatura Digital

It is the set of data relating to a person consigned electronically, they must be used by means of identification of the signed with the same value as the handwritten signature

Silencio Administrativo

There is administrative silence when the administration does not resolve an administrative procedure expressly in the term determined to do so. It can be positive (it is granted what is requested) or negative (it does not coincide).

Simple Note

Informative document issued by the Property Registry, and that allows knowing who is the owner of a property and what

 charges it has at the time of the request.

In this way, the tenant ensures that the property or premises that he

is going to occupy is free of charges and is legalized, that is, he has all the corresponding permits,

 such as the habitability cell.

Single European Act

Signed in Luxembourg and The Hague in 1986 Amends the Treaty of Rome and promotes the single European market. Extends community objectives and policies

Spanish Data Protection Agency

It is an independent administrative authority of state spirit with legal personality, it acts with full independence from the public powers in the exercise of its functions.

Subministramientos

Supplies

Subvención

Monetary disposition made by the administration in favor of individuals or private persons.

Sufragio Activo

Ability to vote and elect a representative

Sufragio Pasivo

Ability to vote and to be elected as a representative of society

Tenant

The person who acquires the use of the thing or the right to the work or service that is obliged to pay

Treaty Of Amsterdam

Treaty signed in 1997. Reforms the European institutions and promotes the foreign and security policy of the European Union.

Treaty Of Lisbon

Treaty signed in 2007, changes the functioning of the European Union.

Treaty Of Maastricht

Treaty signed in 1993. Creates the European Union and introduces cooperation between states in foreign policy and internal security, and establishes the basis of the European Monetary Union.

Treaty Of Nice

Treaty signed in 2001. It modifies the institutions again to adapt them to the 25 member countries at that time.

Valor Residual

In a leasing operation, it is the amount of the purchase option of the asset. Normally, its value is fixed in an additional installment plus.

Vicio Oculto

Internal defect of a thing that at the time of its purchase and sale was not known to the buyer, because it could not be distinguished at first sight.

Vinculante

Subject to obligation

Voluntad

Desire to do something. Criteria that the Administration intends to enforce in a given matter.

Votación De Investidura

Voting that takes place in the Congress of Deputies, to which the candidate for President of the Government is submitted in order to be designated as such.

Well Expendable

Movable property that cannot be used appropriately according to its nature without being consumed.

Well Movable

In general, all those that can be transported from one point to another without detriment to the immovable thing to which they were