judicial review in Spain
Locus standi
Los intereses colectivos y los intereses difusos
La ampliación de la legitimación a los intereses colectivos, supraindividuales, «de categoría» o difusos es una cuestión que sigue abierta en la jurisprudencia, aunque cuenta hoy con el apoyo de los apartados b) e i) del art.19 LRJCA -EDL 1998/44323- y del art.15 LEC -EDL 2000/77463-.
El apartado b) -EDL 1998/44323- legitima a las «las corporaciones, asociaciones, sindicatos y grupos y entidades a que se refiere el artículo 18 que resulten afectados o estén legalmente habilitados para la defensa de los derechos e intereses legítimos colectivos».
El interés colectivo es distinto de la simple suma de unos intereses individuales. El interés colectivo afecta por igual y en común a todos los miembros del grupo de que se trate, y pertenece por entero a todos esos miembros. Se asemeja de esta forma al interés difuso, que pertenece también a una pluralidad de sujetos, pero que, a diferencia del interés colectivo, esa pluralidad no puede ser concretada en una colectividad determinada.
Los intereses colectivos pueden ser ejercitados por grupos, corporaciones o asociaciones, siempre que ostenten la representación necesaria de tales intereses para tener la legitimación de su defensa en el proceso (18) y ostenten interés legítimo.
La LOPJ -EDL 1985/8754- lo expresa diciendo que los grupos o entes han de estar afectados o tener legalmente reconocida la defensa y promoción de los intereses colectivos. Según el art.7.3 LOPJ «los Juzgados y Tribunales protegerán los derechos e intereses legítimos, tanto individuales como colectivos, sin que en ningún caso pueda producirse indefensión. Para la defensa de estos últimos se reconocerá la legitimación de las corporaciones, asociaciones y grupos que resulten afectados o que estén legalmente habilitados para su defensa y promoción.»
Los intereses generales difusos corresponden, en principio, por igual a todos los ciudadanos y encuentran, normalmente, su reconocimiento jurídico en normas constitucionales especialmente relacionadas con la configuración del Estado social y democrático de Derecho (Const art.1 -EDL 1978/3879-).
La sentencia de 13-7-16 (Rec. 2542/15) -EDJ 2016/110795- es importante en este terreno porque niega legitimación a una asociación profesional de jueces y magistrados para impugnar un acuerdo del Consejo General del Poder Judicial, que declaraba en una situación administrativa de servicios especiales a un magistrado. Considera la Sala muy razonadamente que el interés que mueve a la recurrente no trasciende el mero interés por la legalidad y precisa que, conforme al art.19.1 b) la LRJCA -EDL 1998/44323- la legitimación que debe adornar a la asociación tiene que ser una legitimación por interés legítimo (19). La precisión es muy importante porque el interés legítimo es también necesario, conforme a la misma letra del art.19.1 b) LRJCA, para la defensa de intereses colectivos.
A la misma solución llega el Tribunal Constitucional. Además de las condiciones generales la STCo 102/2009 -EDJ 2009/72108- declara que «se ha visto exigiendo» […] «de este tipo de personas jurídicas en orden a impugnar actos o disposiciones administrativas que» […] «existe un interés profesional o económico que sea predicable de las entidades Asociativas recurrentes» (FJ 3).
La orientación actual de la jurisprudencia muestra una extraordinaria dosis de cautela en esta cuestión, subrayando que es casuística sin que sea aconsejable una afirmación ni una negación indiferenciada para todos los casos (20) lo que nos lleva a concluir que el problema sigue abierto a los matices que plantee cada caso y que, sin duda, planteará numerosos problemas en el futuro.
Hay una brillante y atrevida excepción: La sentencia del TCo 214/1991, de 11 de noviembre -EDJ 1991/10668-, ha abierto decididamente brecha en la legitimación que examinamos al reconocer, aparentemente sin vacilación, legitimación de un miembro de un grupo étnico o social determinado para recurrir en amparo, cuando se ofende el honor de todo el colectivo de que forma parte. Si la orientación que muestra esta resolución se confirma nuestro ordenamiento estará en vanguardia en el reconocimiento de la legitimación que se examina, aunque -preciso es reconocerlo- sufrirá el concepto procesal de legitimación que hemos venido empleando hasta la fecha.
La STS ya citada de 8-6-15 (Rec. 39/2014) -EDJ 2015/104390- es paradigmática en cuanto reconoce a una asociación ecologista, que tenía entre sus fines estatutarios la defensa y protección del medio ambiente, legitimación para impugnar un indulto en un delito contra la ordenación del territorio. La sentencia citada, que cuenta con un voto particular muy interesante, demuestra que la legitimación por interés legítimo se dilata en forma extraordinaria en la jurisprudencia del Tribunal Supremo cuando la cuestión sustantiva de fondo versa sobre materias cubiertas en el ámbito sustantivo por la acción popular. Podría decirse que la acción popular es atractiva de la apertura de la legitimación. En el mismo sentido de la sentencia de 8-6-15 se expresó la Sentencia de la Sección Quinta de la Sala Tercera de 3-12-01 (Casacion 5349/97) -EDJ 2001/52614- que extendió la legitimación por la acción pública reconocida en el Derecho urbanístico a una licencia de actividades cuando la temática esencial de impugnación de una actividad clasificada como molesta, insalubre nociva o peligrosa radicaba en el emplazamiento de dicha actividad, que se supeditaba en el caso a lo dispuesto en los planes de ordenación urbana, siendo así que en Derecho urbanístico rige la acción pública.
2. Legitimación para demandar el reconocimiento de una situación jurídica individualizada en el día de hoy
El art.28.2 LJCA de 1956 -EDL 1956/42- reservaba, como antes dijimos, la legitimación para pretender el restablecimiento de una situación jurídica individualizada a los titulares de un derecho subjetivo.
Hoy en día, la distinción entre pretensiones de anulación y de plena jurisdicción ha perdido nitidez, siendo traspasada sin problemas por nuestros Tribunales que superan, siempre que les es posible, las imprecisiones que pueden existir, con alguna frecuencia, en los suplicos de los escritos de demanda.
Como ha dicho en forma muy temprana la sentencia de la sec 4ª de la Sala Tercera de 15-6-92 -EDJ 1992/6293-, nuestro proceso contencioso-administrativo ha dominado con fortuna, incluso antes del mandato de tutela judicial efectiva que resulta del art.24.1 de la Norma Fundamental -EDL 1978/3879-, las barreras formalistas que discriminaban ambos tipos de pretensiones, por ser misión constitucional de la Jurisdicción amparar los derechos e intereses legítimos de quienes a ella acuden (21).
La distinción entre ambos tipos de pretensiones afecta, en estos casos, al fondo del asunto (22) y la respuesta también debe ser casuista. Es también una cuestión abierta a los matices jurisprudenciales para el futuro.
contencioso administrativo», en «Incidencia de la Constitución en los procesos contencioso-administrativos» Madrid, Consejo General del Poder Judicial, 1992, p. 158 ss. La jurisprudencia introdujo los conceptos de «interés directo ampliado» e «interés indirecto» dilatando jurisprudencialmente la legitimación hasta el concepto de interés legítimo que dimana de la Constitución.
8.- Como se sabe en Italia la distinción entre derecho subjetivo e interés legítimo ha servido tradicionalmente para discriminar el ámbito de las jurisdicciones ordinaria, que conoce de los derechos, y de lo contencioso, al que se encomiendan los intereses legítimos, en un sistema cuya única justificación deriva de la mera evolución histórica y de prejuicios ideológicos, pero que se ha reflejado en la misma Constitución (art.113) -EDL 1978/3879-. Vedi, por todos, la voz «Interesse» (dir. amm.), de Montesano, en la Enciclopedìa del Diritto.
9.- Cfr. R, Alessi «Pincipî di Diritto amministrativo», 3ª ed., Milán, Giuffrè, 1974, vol II, p. 553 a 578 y 752 a 760.
10.- Alessi lo define como posición subjetiva del hombre frente a la utilidad que le ofrecen determinados bienes o servicios idóneos para satisfacer sus necesidades, op.cit.; loc. cit., p. 557
The Spanish Constitution of 1978 (CE) devotes two central provisions to judicial review
- Article 106(1) CE, located in Part IV on government and administration, establishes that ‘The Courts control the power
to issue regulations and to ensure that the rule of law prevails in administrative action, as well as to ensure that the latter is subordinated to the ends which justify it’.
- Article 24(1) CE, right to effective judicial protection, which also includes protection against administrative action: ‘Every person has the right to obtain the effective protection of the judges and the courts in the exercise of his or her legitimate rights and interests, and in no case may he go undefended’
Judicial review is usually performed by specific courts fully integrated into the judiciary, the so-called jurisdicción contencioso-administrativa (administrative jurisdiction) = JCA
ACT ON THE JURISDICTION FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW
Act 29/1998 of 13 july regulating the Jurisdiction for Judicial Review
Parties
Act 29/1998 of 13 july regulating the Jurisdiction for Judicial Review
The most significant new features are the precepts regulating locus standi.
Today judicial review is a useful instrument for a great many purposes: inter alia, defence of
personal interest, defence of collective interests and any other legitimate
interests, including political interests; it is a mechanism for reviewing the
legality of lower levels of the administration, an instrument for defending
the autonomy of those same levels of the administration, a channel for the
defence of rights and liberties entrusted to certain public institutions and a
tool for the defence of the objective interest of the law in public interest
claims.
A distinction is made between multi- and single-judge courts in matters of
representation and defence. In proceedings in multi-judge courts, a
barrister and solicitor are compulsory; in action in single-judge courts, a
barrister is optional, and a solicitor, compulsory.
The jr reform finally allows for justice with regard to any illicit administrative
behaviour
Four types of judicial reviews are established, according to object:
A/-the jr of express or presumptive administrative acts;....Jr inadmissibility to challenge pb acts that confirm other final,
consented acts.
B/-the jr of the legality of legislation
Diff:
-direct jr [ of legislation]
-Indirect jr [of the application of legislation on the grounds that the underlying legislation is
faulty.] when it is that same court that conducts a dir and an indirect judicial review, the court will declare the general
provision valid or quashed. When the competent court for indir jr is not the correct court to conduct a direct jr , the act
introduces questions of illegality.
C/-the jr of administrative inaction; the claimant asks the court to sentence the administration to provide some due material
performance or to adopt some express act in procedures initiated on an ex officio basis, where the mechanism of
administrative silence is disallowed. Thus, citizens are girded with a legal instrument for combating administrative
passiveness and delay. Jr only possible v . specific performances and acts that must be decided upon by a legal deadline
, and so any ruling finding for the claimant must strictly order the administration to discharge its obligations exactly as
established. Judicial review by nature cannot furnish a remedy for all cases of administrative indolence, foot-dragging
and ineffectualness. It can but guarantee exact compliance with the law.
D/-the jr of ultra vires material actions: Jr of ultravires material actions. Material actions taken by the administration
without the necessary legal coverage and injuring legitimate rights and interests of any sort can be combated by means of this
judicial review. This particular sort of proceeding is by nature declaratory and prosecutory. At the same time, it might be said to
seek an injunction, for precautionary measures .
For judicial review of administrative inaction, a complaint first must be filed at the administration offices;
in judicial review of ultra vires action, the act allows an optional demand to be filed, also at the administration offices.
But even when the aforementioned complaints and demands are dismissed, through silence or otherwise, subsequent
claims for judicial review of administrative inaction, are not proceedings
against the dismissal of earlier complaints and demands. ... these new actions (the complaint and the demand)d9not partake of
the traditional nature of the claim for judicial review as an instrument of
examination. Nor can it be held that any failure to uphold all or part of a
complaint or a demand constitutes an authentic express or presumptive administrative act.
What is sought is simply to give the administration the opportunity to settle the conflict and avoid the courts taking a hand.
the rule allowing the single- or multi-judge bench , to suspend the processing of mass claims that all share
the same object and to decide instead upon one or more preferred claims selected from the mass. In this way, many other
identical proceedings can be avoided, because the effects of the first ruling or rulings may be applied
to all the other cases in execution.
VI. Procedure
the introduction of a short procedure for certain matters valued at a defined sum beneath a certain cap.
To settle proceedings quickly, the act places several powers in the hands
of the parties or the judicial authority, inter alia, the possibility of initiating a
claim by filing suit in court in some cases, the possibility of petitioning for
judgement without the need for evidence, a hearing or closing arguments
and the possibility of attempting conciliation.
judgements sentencing the administration to do something, judgements
upholding demands for damages, judgements quashing general provisions
and judgements concerning discretionary action.
Jr judges cannot rule upon the discretionary contents of the acts they quash. Logically, this rule is in
no way meant to curb the courts’ authority to extend their review of
discretionary acts to foce pb to submit to law
2. On the topic of appeals against jr judgements,
when the heart of the matter has not been addressed, appeals safeguard he right to effective judicial protection.
Appeals are also for the protection of fundamental rights
3. the constitutional right to effective judicial protection entails the right to prompt
enforcement of the court decision. A refusal,whether express or implicit, to comply with a judgement constitutes an
attack on the Constitution.
The Constitutional Act on the Judiciary eliminated the government power
to suspend and ignore the enforcement of rulings. On the other hand, it
also opened the door to the expropriation of rights recognised by rulings
against the administration. It did not, however, specify the causes of public
and social interest WPI, that would make exercise of this power to expropriate
Pb rights legitimate. The act specifies three very welldefined sets of circumstances,
Specailly the preservation of the free exercise of fundamental rights and public liberties.
the act does accord the party concerned economic compensation for any unjustified delay; it provides against
execution in outward appearance only, declaring acts contrary to court
pronouncements null and void and establishing a rapid way of quashing
them; it specifies the possible ways of enforcing rulings that sentence the
administration to conduct some activity or order the performance of some
act; and it grants the courts the authority to exact penalties in order to
enforce orders, apart from the consequences of any criminal charges.
Two important new features:
1. the possibility of extending the effects of final rulings on personnel
matters and tax matters to non-party persons in an identical situation....to avoide class actions
2. The second new feature consists in granting
a judicial conciliation agreement the same force as a ruling for purposes of
enforcement of judgement.
precautionary measures
precautionary justice forms part of the right to effective protection, as declared by the latest case law.
The rule is to take precautionary measures whenever execution of the act or
application of the provision may render the judicial review moot, but to do
so always on sufficient grounds, after weighing all the conflicting interests.
suspension of the provision or act at issue, is no longer the only precautionary measure
possible. The act introduces the possibility of taking any precautionary
measure, including positive measures. There are no special restrictions,
given the common foundation shared by all precautionary measures
Measures inaudita parte debitoris (the party to appear in court at a later time
concerning the lifting, maintenance or modification of the measure taken),
are measures to be requested, prior to filing for judicial review of inaction or ultra vires
acts.
CHAPTER ONE
Scope
Article 1
1. Single-and multi-judge administrative courts shall hear demands
entered in connection with the action of the public administration subject to
administrative law, in connection with general provisions of a rank below
that of act, and in connection with legislative decrees that overstep the
limits of sub-delegation.
2. For the intents and purposes of this act, public administrations shall be
understood to be:
a) The national state administration.
b) The administrations of the autonomous communities.
c) The entities belonging to local administrations.
d) The entities organised under public law that are dependent on or
linked to the state, autonomous communities or local entities.
3. Single- and multi-judge administrative courts shall also hear demands
entered in connection with:
a) Acts and provisions in matters of personnel, administration and
asset management subject to public law adopted by the competent
authorities of the Congress of Deputies, the Senate, the Constitutional
Court, the Court of Auditors and the Ombudsman, likewise by the
legislative assemblies of autonomous communities and the
autonomous community institutions analogous to the Court of Auditors
and the Ombudsman.
b) Acts and provisions by the General Council of the Judiciary and
administrative activity by governing bodies of single- and multi-judge
courts, in the terms of the Constitutional Act on the Judiciary.
c) Action by the election administration, in the terms of the Constitutional
Act on General Election Procedure.
Article 2
The jurisdiction for judicial review shall hear questions arising in connection
with:
a) Judicial protection of fundamental rights, regulated elements and
the fixing of such indemnities as prove to be in order, in connection
with acts of the government or the governing councils of autonomous
communities, regardless of the nature of the said acts.
b) Administrative contracts and acts preparing and awarding other
contracts subject to legislation on public administration contracting.
c) Acts and provisions decided in the exercise of public functions by
corporations organised under public law.
d) Administrative acts of review or oversight ordered by the concessiongranting administration with respect to acts
ordered by the holders of
public service concessions that involve the exercise of administrative
powers granted to the said concession holders, likewise acts of the
concession holders themselves when such acts are amenable to direct
judicial review pursuant to the proper sector-specific legislation.
e) Financial liability of public administrations, regardless of the
nature of the activity or type of relationship from which the liability
stems. Public administrations cannot be sued on these grounds in
the civil or labour jurisdictions, even when they are concurrent with
private persons in inflicting the damage or hold liability insurance.
f) All other matters expressly assigned to this jurisdiction by an act.
Article 3
The following are not proper matters for the jurisdiction for judicial review:
a) Issues expressly assigned to the civil, criminal and labour
jurisdictions, even when related with public administration activity.
b) Judicial review of military discipline.
c) Conflicts of jurisdiction between the courts and the administration and
conflicts of attributes amongst bodies belonging to the same administration.
d) Direct or indirect appeals challenging tax legislation enacted under
special regional jurisdiction by the General Assemblies of the Historic
Territories of Ãlava, Guipúzcoa and Vizcaya, which will be incumbent
upon the Constitutional Court exclusively, under the terms established
by additional provision five of its Constitutional Act.
Article 4
1. The competence of the jurisdiction for judicial review extends to the
hearing and deciding of references for preliminary rulings and incidental
issues not belonging to the jurisdiction for judicial review but directly
related with a claim for judicial review, save for references and issues of a
constitutional or criminal nature and the terms of international treaties.
2. The decision given shall have no effect outside the process in which it is
handed down and shall not be binding on the jurisdiction involved.
Article 5
1. The jurisdiction for judicial review cannot be postponed.
2. Bodies belonging to this jurisdiction shall conduct an ex officio
assessment to determine whether jurisdiction is lacking and shall decide
accordingly, following a ten-day period in which the parties and the
Prosecution Service may petition to be heard by the court.
3. At all events, such declarations shall be grounded and shall always
indicate the particular jurisdiction that is held to be competent. If the
applicant duly appears in that jurisdiction within one month of notice of the
resolution declaring lack of jurisdiction, the applicant shall be regarded as
having duly appeared on the date when the period for lodging applications
for judicial review began, if the applicant lodged the application according
to the instructions in the document giving notice of the act or the said
document was defective.
Bodies and competences
Article 6
The jurisdiction for judicial review is made up of the following bodies:
a) Single-judge administrative courts.
b) Single-judge central administrative courts.
c) Administrative divisions of superior courts.
d) The Administrative Division of the National Court.
e) The Administrative Division of the Supreme Court.
Article 7
1. The bodies of the jurisdiction for judicial review competent to hear a
matter shall also be competent for all connected incidental proceedings
and competent to enforce rulings handed down as indicated in Section
103.1
2. The competence of single-judge administrative courts and administrative
divisions cannot be postponed and must be observed by them to exist,
albeit an ex officio basis, following a ten-day period in which the parties
and the Prosecution Service may petition to be heard by the court
3. A declaration of lack of competence shall take the form of an order and
must be issued before a ruling is given. The proceedings shall be forwarded
to the competent body in the jurisdiction, where they shall take their course.
If competence is held by a court of a higher rank, a grounded statement
shall be appended and the decision of the higher court shall be observed.
Article 81
1. Single-judge administrative courts shall hear, in single or first instance,
under the terms of this act, claims for judicial review of acts of local entities
or entities and corporations dependent upon or linked to local entities. This
does not include challenges to development planning instruments.
2. Single-judge administrative courts shall moreover hear, in single or first
instance, claims for judicial review of administrative acts of autonomous
community administrations, save when the acts at issue come from the
autonomous community’s governing council and the object is:
a) Personnel issues, save where the issues refer to the creation or
termination of the service relationship of career civil servants.
b) Administrative penalties consisting in fines not in excess of 60,000
euros and discontinuation of activities or stripping of rights for a time
not exceeding six months.
c) Financial liability claims for a sum not exceeding 30,050 euros.
3. Single-judge administrative courts shall hear, in single or first instance,
claims for judicial review of provisions and acts of the peripheral state and
autonomous community administrations, against acts of organisations,
bodies, entities or corporations organised under public law whose
competence is not nationwide and against the decisions of higher bodies
when they confirm in every particular decisions handed down by said
bodies in appeal, oversight or protection proceedings.
Exceptions shall be made for acts of a sum in excess of 60,000 euros
ordered by the peripheral state administration and national public
organisations whose competence is not nationwide, or when the acts are
ordered in the exercise of competences over public property, national
public works, condemnation under sovereign right of eminent domain or
special properties.
4. Single-judge administrative courts shall, moreover, hear all decisions on
matters of foreign citizens handed down by the peripheral state
administration.
5. It falls to single-judge courts to hear challenges to acts of district election
boards and challenges concerning the proclamation of candidacies and
candidates by any election boards, in the terms set in election legislation.
6. The contentious-administrative Courts will also hear requests for
warrants to enter homes and other places whose access requires the
consent of the owner, as long as this is needed for enforcement of acts of
the public authorities, unless they deal with the execution of measures for
the protection of minors agreed by the relevant Public Body.
Jurisdiction for judicial review
Furthermore, the Contentious-Administrative Courts will be responsible for
judicial authorisation or ratification of measures that the health authorities
consider to be urgent and fundamental to public health and which involve
the deprivation or restriction of liberty or other fundamental right.
Moreover, the Contentious-administrative Courts will hear requests for
warrants to enter and inspect homes, premises, lands and means of
transport which have been agreed by the National Committee for the
Jurisdiction where such access and inspection requires the consent of the
owner and the latter opposes it or there is a risk of such opposition.
Article 92
1. The central contentious-administrative courts shall hear appeals brought
against administrative decisions concerning:
a) Staff matters, in first or sole instance, in the case of decisions issued
by ministers and junior ministers, except where they confirm, in appeal,
supervision or protection proceedings, decisions issued by lower
bodies, or they relate to beginning or ending the employment of career
civil servants, or to the matters set out in article 11.1.a) regarding
military personnel.
b) Appeals, in first or sole instance, against the decisions of central
bodies of the general state administration in the circumstances
provided for in section 2.b) of article 8.
c) In first or sole instance, contentious-administrative appeals brought
against general orders and decisions emanating from public bodies
having their own legal personality and state public sector entities
having authority throughout Spanish territory, subject to the provisions
of article 10, section 1, paragraph i).
d) In first or sole instance, appeals against decisions issued by
ministers and junior ministers concerning financial liability where the
amount claimed does not exceed 30,050 euros.
e) In first instance, decisions rejecting applications for political asylum.
f) In first or sole instance, decisions issued, in supervision proceedings,
by the Spanish Sports Disciplinary Committee concerning sports
discipline.
2. The central contentious-administrative courts shall have responsibility
for the authorisation referred to in article 8.2 of Law 34/2002, as well as
authorising the implementation of decisions issued by the Second Section
of the Intellectual Property Commission to interrupt the provision of
information society services or remove content that violates intellectual
property, in application of Law 34/2002, of 11 July, on information society
and e-commerce services.
3. The central contentious-administrative courts shall also hear the
proceedings provided for in article 12 a of Organic Law 6/2002, of 27 June,
on political parties.
Article 10 Competences of the administrative divisions of superior courts.
1. The administrative divisions of superior courts shall hear in single
instance claims for judicial review in connection with:
a) Acts of local entities and autonomous community administrations
that are not assigned to single-judge administrative courts.
b) General provisions issued by autonomous communities and local
entities.
c) The acts and provisions of the governing bodies of the legislative
assemblies of autonomous communities and autonomous community
institutions analogous to the Court of Auditors and the Ombudsman in
matters of personnel, administration and asset management.
d) Acts and decisions ordered by regional and local economic
administrative courts ending the economic administrative procedure.
e) Decisions handed down by the Central Economic Administrative
Court in matters of devolved taxes.
f) Acts and provisions of provincial and autonomous community
election boards, likewise appeals made under election law against
election board resolutions about the proclamation of elections and
election winners and the proclamation of the presidents of local
corporations, in the terms of election legislation.
g) Accords between public administrations whose competences are
exercised within the territory of the autonomous community in question.
h) Prohibitions of assembly or proposed modifications of gatherings
as provided for in Constitutional Act 9/1983 of 15 July Regulating the
Right to Freedom of Assembly.
i) Acts and decisions ordered by bodies of the general state
administration whose competence is nationwide and whose institutional
level is lower than that of a minister or secretary of state, in matters of
personnel, special properties and condemnation under sovereign right
of eminent domain.
j) Acts and decisions of the autonomous community bodies competent
to apply the Act on Competition Defence.
k) Decisions handed down by the competent body settling appeals in
matters of contracting as provided for in Section 311 of Act 30/2007 of
30 October on Public Sector Contracts, in connection with contracts
included within the sphere of competence of autonomous communities
or local corporations.
l ) Decisions handed down by sub-national multi-judge administrative
courts for contract appeals.
m) Any other administrative actions not expressly assigned to the
competence of other bodies in this jurisdiction.
....
e) Appeals against decisions issued by the Commission for the
Surveillance of Terrorist Funding Activities and the authorisation of
extensions to the duration of the measures of that commission, in
accordance with the provisions of the law on the prevention and
freezing of terrorist funding.
f) Decisions issued by the central administrative court for contractual
appeals, except as provided for in article 10.1.k).
g) Appeals against decisions of the Bank of Spain, the Spanish
National Securities Market Commission and the Fund for Orderly Bank
Restructuring (FROB) issued in accordance with Law 11/2015, of 18
June, on the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and
investment firms.
h) Appeals brought by the Spanish National Markets and Competition
Commission to protect market unity.
2. It shall, in second instance, hear appeals against the orders and rulings
of the central contentious-administrative courts and those relating to
appeals against refusal of leave to appeal.
3. It shall hear appeals for judicial review of final rulings of the central
contentious-administrative courts.
4. It shall also hear disputes concerning jurisdiction arising between the
central contentious-administrative courts.
Article 12
1. The Administrative Division of the Supreme Court shall hear in single
instance claims for judicial review in connection with:
a) Acts and provisions of the Council of Ministers and Delegated
Government Committees.
b) Acts and provisions of the General Council of the Judiciary.
c) Acts and provisions in matters of personnel, administration and
asset management adopted by the competent authorities of the
Congress of Deputies, the Senate, the Constitutional Court, the Court
of Auditors and the Ombudsman.
2. It shall also hear:
a) All types of appeals to the Supreme Court, in the terms established
herein, and the corresponding motions for admission of denied
appeals.
b) Appeals to the Supreme Court and appeals for review filed against
decisions handed down by the Court of Auditors, under the terms of
the Act on the Operation of the Court of Auditors.
c) Appeals for review of final judgements handed down by the
administrative divisions of superior courts, of the National Court and of
the Supreme Court, save as provided for in Section 61.1.1. of the
Constitutional Act on the Judiciary.
3. Likewise it shall hear:
a) Claims presented in connection with acts and provisions of the Central
Election Board, likewise claims for judicial review of decisions on the
proclamation of election winners in the terms set in election legislation.
b) Claims presented against acts of election boards taken in the
procedure for the election of members of the governing chambers of
multi-judge courts, in the terms of the Constitutional Act on the
Judiciary.
Article 13
In applying the competence distribution rules contained in the preceding
sections, account shall be taken of the following criteria:
a) References made to the administration of the State, autonomous
communities and local entities encompass entities and corporations
dependent upon or linked to each such administration.
b) Competence assigned to single-and multi-judge courts for judicial
review of administrative acts includes competence concerning inaction
and actions performed ultra vires.
c) Save where expressly stated otherwise, the assignment of
competence by reason of subject matter prevails over the assignment of
competence by reason of the administrative body committing the act.
CHAPTER III
Territorial competence of singleand multi-judge courts
Article 14
1. Territorial competence of single-judge courts and superior courts shall
be found pursuant to the following rules:
First. Generally the court whose judicial district contains the central
offices of the body that issued the original provision or act challenged
shall be the competent court.
Second. For judicial review of acts of public administrations relating to
responsibility for public assets, personnel, special properties or
penalisations, either the court serving the judicial district that bounds
the applicant’s domicile or the court serving the domicile of the body
authoring the act challenged, at the applicant’s discretion.
Article 15
1. The Administrative Division of the Supreme Court shall be divided into
sections. The chief justice of each section shall be the chief justice of the
division or the most senior justice in the section, save in the event provided
for in Section 96.6, where the chief justice of the section shall be the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court.
2. To hear or deliberate and pass judgement, the attendance of the chief
justice and the following justices shall be necessary:
a) All justices in the section in appeals to the Supreme Court and
appeals for review.
b) Four justices in all other cases.
3. For ordinary business, the attendance of the chief justice and two other
justices shall be sufficient.
The parties
c) The state administration, where it has the right or a legitimate
interest, to challenge decisions and orders of the administration of the
autonomous regions and public bodies linked to them, as well as those
of local bodies, in accordance with the provisions of local government
legislation, and those of any other public body that is not under its
supervision.
d) The administration of the autonomous regions, to challenge
decisions and orders that have a bearing on their autonomy, emanating
from the state administration or any other administration or public
body, as well as those of local bodies, in accordance with the provisions
of local government legislation.
e) Local bodies, to challenge decisions and orders that have a bearing
on their autonomy, emanating from the state administration or the
administration of the autonomous regions, as well as those of public
bodies having their own legal personality and linked to either, or those
of other local bodies.
f) The public prosecution service, to take part in proceedings as
established by law.
g) Public law bodies having their own legal personality and linked or
ancillary to any public administration, to challenge decisions or orders
that have a bearing on their aims.
h) Any citizen, acting in the name of the people, in the cases expressly
provided for by law.
i) Unions and legally constituted associations, in addition to those
affected and always with their consent, shall also be entitled to appear
to defend the right to equal treatment for men and women, where the
primary objective of those bodies is the defence of equal treatment for
men and women in relation to their membership.
Representation and defence of the parties
Article 23
1. Proceedings before a single-judge court, the parties may choose to be
represented by a court procedural representative and shall, in any event,
be advised by legal counsel...When the parties choose to be represented by legal counsel, said counsel
shall be notified of the proceedings.
2. In proceedings before a bench of judges, the parties must be represented
by a court procedural representative and by advised by legal counsel.
Article 25
1. Applications for judicial review are admissible in connection with
provisions of a general nature and express and alleged acts of the public
administration ending the administrative procedure, be they final or nonfinal, provided the non-final provisions
or acts in question decide directly or indirectly on the merits of the case, find it impossible to continue the
procedure, place legitimate rights or interests in a defenceless position or
do irreparable injury to legitimate rights or interests.
2. Applications for judicial review of administrative inaction and material
action taken by the administration ultra vires are also admissible in the
terms established herein.
Article 26
1. In addition to direct challenges to provisions of a general nature,
challenges may also be admitted against acts performed in application of
provisions of a general nature, claiming that such provisions are not lawful.
Article 27
1. When an administrative court has handed down a final ruling finding the
contents of the applied general provision illegal, the question of illegality
must be put to the court competent to conduct the direct judicial review of
the provision, save as provided for in the two paragraphs below.
2. When the single- or multi-judge bench competent to conduct the judicial
review of an act grounded on the invalidity of a general provision is also
competent to conduct the judicial review of the general provision, the ruling
shall declare the general provision valid or quash it.
3. Without the need to pose a question of illegality, the Supreme Court shall
quash any general provision when, at any stage in proceedings, it hears a
claim against an act on the grounds of the illegality of the general provision
in question.
Article 28
Petitions for judicial review shall not be admitted against acts that are a
reproduction of other, previous, definitive, final acts or against acts
confirming acts that have gained consent through not having been
challenged in due time and fashion.
Article 30
In cases of ultra vires action, the party concerned may file a demand for
cessation of said action with the acting administration. If the demand is not
lodged or is not heeded within ten days of submission, a claim for judicial
review may be presented directly.
Demands of the parties
Article 31
1. The applicant may seek to have acts and provisions amenable to
challenge under the preceding chapter declared unlawful and rendered
void or quashed, as applicable.
2. The applicant may also seek acknowledgement of a legal situation
specific to an individual and appropriate measures for full reinstatement of
that situation, inter alia, payment for damages.
Article 32
1. When an application is made for judicial review of administrative inaction
under Section 29, the applicant may seek to have the court sentence the
administration to discharge its obligations pursuant to the specific terms in
which those obligations are established.
2. If the object of the petition is a material action constituting ultra vires
action, the applicant may seek to have the action declared unlawful and
quashed and may seek the other measures provided for in Section 31.2
where appropriate.
Article 33
1. Courts in the administrative jurisdiction shall pass judgement within the
limit of the demands submitted to them by the parties and the grounds of
the claim and the opposition.
2. The single- or multi-judge bench shall notify the parties if, in handing
down their ruling, they feel that the question brought before them may have
been incorrectly described by the parties due to the apparent existence of
other potential grounds on which the claim or the opposition could have
been based. The single- or multi-judge bench shall so notify the parties in
the form of an order advising the parties that final judgement is pending,
stating the potential grounds the court feels have been overlooked and
granting the parties a shared ten-day period in which to submit such
arguments as they see fit. The period for giving judgement shall be
suspended meanwhile. No appeal may be made against the aforesaid order.
3. This same sequence shall be observed where certain precepts of a
general provision are directly challenged and the court feels it necessary
to extend the procedure to other connected or consequential precepts of
the same provision.
Joinder
Article 34
1. Claims presented in connection with the same act, provision or action
may be joined.
2. Claims referring to several acts, provisions or actions shall also be
joined when some claims are a reproduction, confirmation or execution of
others or some other direct connection exists between the claims.
Article 35
1. The plaintiff may include in the suit as many demands as meet the requirements
indicated in the preceding section.
2. If the court clerk finds joinder inappropriate, the clerk shall so inform the
court, which, if appropriate, shall order the party to file the claims separately
within thirty days. Should the party fail to do so, the judge shall deem that
claim in whose respect orders were not followed to have lapsed.
Article 40
1. The court clerk shall set the amount of claims for judicial review once
the written claim and written reply have been made, in which the parties
may state their opinion as to amount in the form of petitions after the
principal petition.
2. Otherwise the court clerk shall instruct the applicant to set the amount,
granting a period not in excess of ten days in which to do so. After this
period, should the applicant have failed to do as instructed, the court clerk
shall hear the applicant and thereafter decide accordingly.
3. When the defendant disagrees with the sum set by the applicant, the
defendant shall so state in writing within ten days. The court clerk shall
decide accordingly. In this case the court shall definitively settle the
question in its ruling.
4. The party aggrieved by the decision stipulated in the paragraph above
may submit a motion for admission of a denied appeal on the grounds that
the amount was not properly set, if the amount was cause for finding the
party’s appeal to the Supreme Court not properly prepared or not admitting
the party’s appeal to the Supreme Court for doctrine unification or the
party’s appeal to the next higher court.
Article 41
1. The amount of the claim for judicial review shall be determined by the
economic value of the applicant’s demand.
2. When there are several applicants, the economic value of the demand
presented by each shall be heeded instead of the sum of all applicants’
demands.
3. In joinders or extensions, the amount shall be determined by the sum of
the economic value of the demands of the claims joined or extended.
However, this shall not entitle demands for a lesser amount to the possibility
of appeal to the next higher court or to the Supreme Court.
Procedure in first or single instance
Sub-chapter 1. Preliminary proceedings
Article 43
When the administration that authored an act petitions for judicial review to
quash that act, it must have first declared the act injurious to the public
interest.
Article 44
1. In litigation between public administrations, claims for judicial review
may not be filed in administrative proceedings. Nevertheless, when one
administration files for judicial review against another, the former may
first instruct the latter to repeal the provision, annul or revoke the act,
cease or modify the material action or initiate the activity it is obligated to
perform....When the contracting administration, the contractor or third parties
endeavour file for judicial review of decisions taken by the administrative
bodies whose task it is to decide upon special appeals and complaints in
matters of contracting to which public sector contract legislation refers,
they shall file the claim directly and without the need for any demand or
administrative appeal.
2. The instructions must be addressed to the competent authority in
writing, giving grounds, specifying the provision, act, action or inaction.
The instructions must be issued within two months of the publication of
the rule or the time when the instructing administration gained or could
have gained knowledge of the act, action or inaction.
3. The instructions shall be held to have been rejected if the recipient fails
to reply within one month of receipt.
4. An exception is made for provisions of legislation on local government
concerning these matters.
Article 45
1. Claims for judicial review shall be initiated in a written application that
merely cites the provision, act, inaction or action constituting the challenged
ultra vires operation and petitions that the claim be held to have been filed,
save when this act provides otherwise.
2. This application shall be accompanied by:
a) The credentials of the person appearing on behalf of the party,
save where said credentials are attached to the proceedings for
another claim pending before the same court, in which case a certificate
may be requested, to be attached to the case records.
b) The document or documents accrediting the legal standing of the
plaintiff when that standing has been gained by inheritance or by any
other title.
c) The copy or transcript of the provision or express act at issue in the
application, or identification of the file to which the act belongs or the
official periodical in which the provision was published. If the object of
the application is administrative inaction or operation ultra vires,
mention shall be made of the authority or office to which the object is
attributed, the file in which the object originated and any other
particulars that might aid in sufficiently identifying the object of the
requested judicial review.
d) The document or documents accrediting compliance with the
requisites for taking legal action for legal persons under the applicable
rules or statutes, save where such accreditation is incorporated or
inserted as pertinent within the body of the application mentioned in
subparagraph a) above.
3. The court clerk shall examine ex officio the validity of the party’s
appearance as soon as the application has been submitted. If the court
clerk deems it valid, the clerk shall admit the claim. If the documents stated
in the paragraph above are not enclosed or the documents submitted are
incomplete, and generally whenever the court clerk deems that the
requisites set by this act for the party’s valid appearance are not met, the
clerk shall immediately instruct the claimant to remedy the failure, giving
the claimant a ten-day period in which to do so, failing which the court shall
declare the proceedings closed.
4. Claims against action harmful to the public interest shall be initiated in
the form of a suit lodged as per Section 56.1, which shall precisely stipulate
the person or persons sued and their central offices or domicile if known.
This suit shall be accompanied by all events by the declaration confirming
that the act is harmful to the public interest, the administrative file and, if
applicable, the documents in subparagraphs 2.a) and 2.d) of this section.
5. Claims for judicial review of a general provision, act, inaction or ultra
vires operation in which there are no interested third parties may also be
initiated by means of a suit in which the challenged provision, act or
conduct shall be specified and the grounds for its unlawfulness shall be
given. The suit shall be accompanied by the appropriate documents from
amongst those provided for in paragraph 2 of this section.
Article 46
1. The period for filing for judicial review shall be two months long, counting
from the day following the date of publication of the challenged provision
or notification or publication of the express act ending administrative
proceedings, if any. Otherwise the period shall be six months long and
shall be counted, for the applicant and other possible parties concerned,
as of the day following the date when the alleged act occurred according to
the rules specific to the alleged act.
2. In the events provided for in Section 29, the two months shall be counted
as of the day following the expiration of the periods indicated in the said
section.
3. The period for filing for judicial review of an ultra vires action shall be
ten days long, counting as of the day following the date when the period
established in Section 30 ends. Where there is no demand for cessation,
the period shall be twenty days long as of the date when the administrative
ultra vires action began.
4. The period for filing for judicial review shall be counted as of the day
following the date when notice is served of the express decision on the
optional appeal for administrative reversal or when the said appeal must
be held to have been presumed dismissed.
5. The period for filing for judicial review of action harmful to the public
interest shall be two months long, counting from the day following the date
of the declaration confirming that the act is harmful to the public interest.
6. In litigation amongst administrations, the period for filing for judicial
review shall be two months long, save where otherwise established by
law. When preceded by the instructions regulated in the first three
paragraphs of Section 44, the period shall be counted from the day
following the date when notice of an express resolution is received or the
instructions are presumed to be rejected.
article 47
1. Once the provisions of Section 45.3 have been complied with, on the
following working day, if requested by the claimant, the court clerk shall call
for the filing of the claim to be announced and shall forward the official
communication for publication by the competent authority (notwithstanding
payment of costs by the claimant) in the appropriate official periodical for
the territorial scope of competence of the authority committing the
administrative activity at issue in the claim. The court clerk may also call for
publication on an ex officio basis, should the clerk see fit.
2. If the claim is initiated by means of a suit under Section 45.5 and the suit
is filed against a general provision, the announcement of the filing of the
suit must be published. The announcement shall give fifteen days for
anyone having a legitimate interest in upholding the lawfulness of the
challenged provision, act or conduct to appear. After this period, the court
clerk shall serve notice of the suit and the documents thereto attached,
that a reply may be given first by the administration and subsequently by
any other defendants who have appeared.
Article 48
1. When issuing orders as provided for in paragraph 1 of the preceding
section, or by means of proceedings if publication is not necessary, the
court clerk shall instruct the administration to dispatch the administrative
file and order the administration to serve the summonses provided for in
Section 49. The file shall be demanded from the body that authored the
challenged provision or act or the body to which the inaction or ultra vires
operation is attributed. An authenticated copy of files processed in earlier
stages or phases of proceedings shall always be made before returning
the files to their office of origin.
2. The file shall not be requested in the case in paragraph 2 of the preceding
section, the competence granted in paragraph 5 of this section
notwithstanding.
3. The file must be dispatched within the non-extendable period of twenty
days, counting from the date when the letter from the court is entered in
the general register of the recipient authority. The judicial authority shall be
informed of the letter’s entry in the general register.
4. The original file or a copy thereof shall be sent in full, with its pages
numbered, authenticated where appropriate, accompanied by a table of
contents (likewise authenticated) listing the documents therein contained.
The administration shall always keep the original or an authenticated copy
of the files it sends. If the file is requested by several courts, the
administration shall dispatch authenticated copies of the original or of the
copy it has kept.
5. Where judicial review of the provision is initiated by means of a suit, the
court may call for the preparatory file, on an ex officio basis or at the
request of the plaintiff. Having received the file, the court clerk shall display
the file to the parties for five days, to enable them to formulate their
arguments.
6. Classified documents under official secrets legislation shall be removed
from the file under a grounded decision, and it shall be so stated on the
table of contents and at the spot in the file once held by the removed
documents.
7. Should the file submission period expire and the full file not have been
received, the instructions shall be reissued. If the file is not dispatched
within ten days counted as provided for in paragraph 3, responsibility shall
be traced and the court clerk shall serve an admonition personally giving a
period for entering arguments, after which the court shall fine the responsible
authority or employee a periodic penalty payment of between three hundred
and one thousand two hundred euros. The fine shall be repeated every
twenty days until instructions have been complied with.
Should there be good reason for it to be impossible to determine which
individual authority or employee is responsible, the administration shall be
held responsible, without prejudice to the possibility of passing the fine on
to the responsible party.
8. Court orders concerning files referred to in the paragraph above are
amenable to petitions for reconsideration in the terms set in Section 79.
9. Definitive fines not voluntarily paid shall be enforced by judicial means
of collection.
10. Should the first three periodic penalty payments be fined and the full
file not yet have been dispatched, the court shall so inform the Prosecution
Service, without prejudice of the possibility of continued fining. The
instructions whose neglect could give rise to the third periodic penalty
payment shall contain the appropriate admonition.
Sub-chapter 3. Summonsing of the defendants and admission of the claim
Article 49
1. Within five days of being taken, the decision to dispatch the file shall be
reported to all parties appearing as parties concerned in the file, citing
them to appear as defendants within the period of nine days. Service shall
be conducted under the provisions of the act regulating common
administrative procedure....In applications for judicial review of decisions taken by the administrative
bodies whose task it is to decide upon special appeals and complaints in
matters of contracting to which public sector contract legislation refers, any
persons other than the applicant who appeared in the administrative
appeal shall be summonsed as defendants and instructed to appear as
defendants within nine days.
2. When all notifications have been served, the file shall be sent to the court,
including proof of the summons or summonses served, save where they could
not be served within the period set for dispatching the file, in which case the
file shall be dispatched without delay and proof of summons shall be dispatched
when all summonses have been completed.
3. On receipt of the file, the court clerk shall ascertain whether all due
notices for service of summons have been given, in view of the result of
the administrative actions and the contents of the application and attached
documents. Should the clerk find the summonses incomplete, the clerk
shall order the administration to serve the summonses necessary to
ensure the defence of the interested parties who can be identified.
4. When it has proved impossible to serve a summons on an interested
party at the address of record, the court clerk shall order the appropriate
edict inserted into the official periodical for the territorial sphere of
competence of the authority that committed the administrative activity at
issue in the application. The persons summonsed through edicts may
appear up to the time when they must be officially notified to reply to the suit.
5. In the event provided for in Section 47.2, the terms of the said section
shall be observed.
6. Summonses of defendants in judicial review of action harmful to the
public interest shall be served in person within a nine-day period.
Article 50
1. The summons of the administration shall be deemed served through the
court’s petition for the file.
2. Public administrations shall be held to have appeared in proceedings
when they dispatch the file.
3. Legally summonsed defendants may appear in the proceedings within
the period granted. Should they do so later, they shall be deemed a party to
the unprecluded proceedings. Should they fail to appear correctly, the
procedure shall continue and it shall be out of order to serve any notifications
of any sort on them, in the courtroom or elsewhere.
Article 51
1. After examining the administrative file, the single-judge court or division
shall declare the application inadmissible when it unequivocally and
manifestly observes that:
a) The court holds no jurisdiction or competence.
b) The applicant holds no legal standing.
c) The application has been filed against an activity not amenable to
challenge.
d) The period for filing applications has expired.
2. The single-judge court or division may refuse to admit the application
when other, substantially identical claims have been dismissed in final
ruling. In this latter case the refusal shall mention the dismissal decision or
decisions
3. When an ultra vires action is challenged, the single-judge court or
division may also refuse to admit the application if it were evident that the
administrative action was taken within the competence of and in conformity
with the rules of procedure established by law....Likewise, when failure by the administration to discharge the obligations
referred to in Section 29 is challenged, the application shall not be admitted
if it is evident the administration has no specific obligations with respect to
the applicants.
4. Before pronouncing judgement on nonadmission, the single-judge court
or division shall inform the parties of its grounds, whereupon the parties
shall have a shared ten-day period to argue as they see fit, enclosing any
documents that are in order.
5. The appeals provided for in this act may be filed against a nonadmission
order. An admission order is not amenable to appeal, but this shall not
preclude the presentation of any other grounds of inadmissibility at a later
time in proceedings.
6. When nonadmission is declared under paragraph 1. a) of this section,
the terms of Sections 5.3 and 7.3 shall be observed.
Sub-chapter 4. Claim and reply
Article 52
1. When the administrative file has been received by the court and the
summonses have been checked and where necessary completed, the
court clerk shall have the file delivered to the claimant for presentation of
the suit within twenty days, save in any of the events in Section 51, in
which case the clerk shall report to the court, which shall decide accordingly.
When the claimants are several, even if not acting under a single director,
the suit shall be lodged simultaneously by them all. The file delivered shall
be the original or a copy.
2. If the suit is not submitted in due time, the single-judge court or division,
acting ex officio, shall declare the suit lapsed. Nevertheless, the statement
of claim shall be admitted and shall have the proper legal effects if
submitted before the end of the day when notice of the order was served.
Article 54
1. When the suit has been filed, the court clerk shall serve the suit, including
delivery of the administrative file, on the defendant parties who have
appeared, giving them twenty days to reply. If the suit was filed without the
administrative file’s having been received, the court clerk shall summons
the defendant administration to reply, admonishing it that the reply shall
not be admitted unless accompanied by the said file.
2. If counsel for the defendant administration deems that the provision or
administrative action under judicial review may be unlawful, counsel for
the defence may petition for twenty days’ suspension of proceedings in
order to inform the defendant administration of counsel’s considered
opinion. The court clerk shall issue orders accordingly after hearing the
defendant.
3. The defendant administration shall be the first defendant to lodge its
reply. When other defendants apart from the administration are to reply,
they shall all lodge their replies simultaneously, even if not acting under a
single director. In this case it shall not be in order to deliver the administrative
file, which shall be put on display at the Judicial Office, but to deliver
instead a copy of the administrative file at these defendants’ expense.
4. If the defendant administration is a local entity and has failed to appear
in proceedings despite having been summonsed, the defendant
administration shall nevertheless be served with the suit and given a
period of twenty days in which to appoint a representative in court
proceedings or to inform the judicial authority in writing of the grounds on
which it deems the plaintiff’s demand undeserving
Article 55
1. If the parties deem that the administrative file is incomplete, they may,
within the period for filing their suit or reply, petition for the missing items to
be demanded.
2. The petition to which the paragraph above refers shall cause the period
at issue to be suspended.
3. The court clerk shall take the pertinent decision within three days. When
the administration re-dispatches the file, it must flag the added documents
in the table of contents to which Section 48.4 refers.
Article 56
1. In the statement of claim and the defendant’s reply, the findings of fact,
considerations of law and arguments presented shall be duly separated.
Such grounds as in order may be put forth to support the arguments
presented, regardless of whether such grounds have been laid before the
administration.
2. The court clerk shall conduct an ex officio examination of the suit and
instruct the claimant to correct any defects within a period not in excess
of ten days. After correction, the court clerk shall admit the suit. Otherwise
the court clerk shall report to the judge, who shall decide as to its
admission.
3. The parties shall enclose with their statement of claim or reply the
documents on which their right is directly grounded. If such documents are
not in the parties’ power, the parties shall name the file, office, records or
person in whose power the documents lie.
4. After the statement of claim and reply, the parties shall be allowed no
additional documents beyond those found in cases of civil action.
Nevertheless, before the parties are called to appear before the court or to
submit closing arguments the plaintiff may additionally submit documents
whose object is to upset arguments contained in the replies to the suit and
that highlight disagreement over the facts.
Article 57
The court clerk shall declare the lawsuit ready for judgement forthwith
save where the single- or multi-judge bench exercises the competence
conferred in Section 61 in the following events:
1st If, after the principal petition, the plaintiff petitions also for judgement
to be given without the need to admit evidence or to hold a hearing or
to submit closing arguments and the defendant does not oppose this
petition.
2nd If in the statement of claim and the defendant’s reply there is no
petition to admit evidence or to hold a hearing or to submit closing
arguments, save where the single- or multi-judge bench, under
exceptional circumstances, in view of the nature of the case, decides
in favour of a hearing or written closing arguments.
In the two events above, if the defendant petitions for nonadmission of the
claim, the plaintiff shall be served notice and given a five-day period in
which to lodge any arguments the plaintiff deems appropriate on the
possible cause of nonadmission, and the lawsuit shall be declared
concluded forthwith.
Sub-chapter 5. Preliminary pleas
Article 58
1. Within the first five days of the period for replying to the suit, the
defendants may plead such grounds as may show the court to lack
competence or the claim to be inadmissible under Section 69. Such
grounds, save that of lack of competence, may nonetheless be argued in
the reply, even if dismissed as a preliminary plea.
2. To make use of this proceeding, the defendant administration must
attach the administrative file if it has not forwarded the file already.
Article 59
1. The court clerk shall serve the prior pleas to the plaintiff, who shall have
five days in which to correct any defects.
2. When the service period has been completed, any incidental proceedings
scheduled shall follow.
3. A ruling dismissing preliminary pleas shall not be amenable to appeal
and shall order the defendant to reply to the suit within the period
remaining.
4. A ruling upholding preliminary pleas shall declare the claim for judicial
review inadmissible. Once the ruling is final, the court clerk shall order the
administrative file returned to its office of origin. If lack of jurisdiction or
competence is declared, the term set in Sections 5.3 and 7.3 shall be
observed.
Sub-chapter 6. Evidence
Article 60
1. Petitions for admission of evidence may be made only in the principal
petition, the defendant’s reply or complementary pleas. Such documents
must contain an orderly account of the points of fact to which the evidence
refers and the means of proof proposed.
2. If new facts of material relevance to the ruling on the case are revealed
by the defendant’s reply, the claimant may petition for the admission of
evidence and specify the means of proof proposed within five days of
service thereon of the defendant’s reply, without prejudice to the claimant’s
entitlement to exercise the right to furnish documents under paragraph 4
of Section 56
3. Evidence shall be admitted when there is disagreement upon facts that
are of importance for deciding the lawsuit in the court’s opinion. If the
object of judicial review is an administrative or disciplinary penalty,
evidence shall always be admitted where there is disagreement over the
facts.
4. Evidence shall be handled under the general rules established for civil
proceedings, and shall be examined within thirty days. Nevertheless,
evidence examined after that deadline for reasons not attributable to the
party submitting it may be considered.
5. Divisions may delegate all or any of the evidence presentation
proceedings to one of their justices or to a single-judge administrative
court, and the administration’s representative in the proceedings may in
turn delegate the authority to be party to the submission of evidence to a
civil servant of the administration.
6. At the giving of expert testimony, the judge shall, at the petition of any of
the parties, grant a period not in excess of five days for the parties to
request clarifications of the expert’s opinion.
7. In accordance with procedural laws, in those procedures in which the
plaintiff’s arguments claim the existence of actions that were discriminatory
by reason of sex, it shall fall to the defendant to prove that the measures
taken were non-discriminatory and proportional.
For the purposes of the provisions of the paragraph above, the court may,
at the request of a party, call for a report or opinion from the competent
public authorities, should the court feel it to be useful and pertinent.
Article 61
1. The single-or multi-judge bench may rule ex officio to admit evidence
and may order the submission of such evidence as the court deems
pertinent to ensure the wisdom of its decision.
2. When the evidence period has ended, until the lawsuit is declared ready
for judgement, the court may also rule to have any evidence proceedings
submitted that it deems necessary.
3. The parties shall be party to any evidence submitted under the two
paragraphs above.
4. If the single- or multi-judge bench makes use of the court’s authority to
call for evidence submission ex officio and the parties have no opportunity
to argue the point at the hearing or in their written closing arguments, the
court clerk shall inform the parties of the result of evidence submission.
The parties shall then have five days in which to argue as they see fit
about the scope and importance of the evidence.
5. The judge may decide ex officio, after hearing the parties, or else at the
request of the parties, to extend the effects of expert testimony to connected
procedures. For the application of the rules on court costs in connection with
the cost of such testimony, all parties to the action to which it has been decided
to extend the effects of the testimony shall be held to be parties, and the cost
of the testimony shall be prorated amongst the persons awarded the costs of
the said action.
Sub-chapter 7. Hearing and closing arguments
Article 62
1. Save where provided otherwise in this act, the parties may petition for a
hearing, for the submission of closing arguments or for the lawsuit to be
declared ready for judgement forthwith.
2. Said petition must be formulated after the principal petition in the statement
of claim or the defendant’s reply or made in writing and submitted within five
days of the date of notice of the ruling proceedings declaring the evidence
period concluded.
3. The court clerk shall issue orders accordingly when both parties submit
the same petition. Otherwise the court clerk shall only order a hearing or
the submission of closing arguments when the petition is made by the
plaintiff or, after the submission of evidence, when the petition is made by
either party. This shall be without prejudice to the provisions of paragraph
4 of Section 61.
4. If the parties have not lodged any petitions whatsoever, the judge or
court may, in exceptional circumstances, in view of the nature of the case,
rule to hold a hearing or to receive closing arguments.
Article 63
1. If a hearing is ordered, the court clerk shall schedule the hearing in strict
order of case seniority, with the exception of cases referring to matters that
must take preference due to lapse of offence or a grounded decision by
the court based on exceptional circumstances. When ready for judgement,
such preferential cases may be placed before those that have not yet been
scheduled. In scheduling hearings, the court clerk shall likewise heed the
criteria established in Section 182 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
2. At the hearing the parties shall be recognised in the proper order and
allowed to state their case succinctly. The judge or chief justice of the
division, in person or through the reporting justice, may invite counsel for
the defence of the parties, before or after the oral reports, to specify the
facts and to descend to particulars or to enter clarifications or rectifications
in order to define the object of debate.
3. The hearing shall be recorded on a medium fit for recording and
reproducing both sound and picture. The court clerk must take the
electronic document in which the recording is embodied into safekeeping.
The parties may request copies of the original recordings at their own cost.
4. Provided that the necessary technological means are available, the
court clerk shall guarantee the authenticity and completeness of anything
recorded or reproduced by applying thereto a recognised electronic
signature or other security system that offers similar guarantees under the
law. In this case the court clerk need not be present at the hearing, save
where the parties have so requested at least two days prior to the hearing,
or where the court clerk considers it necessary make an exception and
attend in view of the complexity of the case, the number and nature of the
items of evidence to be submitted, the number of parties, the possibility of
the occurrence of unrecordable incidents or the attendance of other equally
exceptional circumstances justifying the court clerk’s presence. In that
event the court clerk shall draw up a brief record pursuant to the paragraph
below.
5. If the mechanisms of guarantee provided for in the paragraph above cannot
be used, the court clerk must set down the following particulars in the record:
number and class of procedure; place and date; duration, persons in attendance;
pleas and arguments of the parties; decisions made by the single- or multijudge bench;
likewise any circumstances and incidents that could not be
recorded on the regular medium. The recordings of the sessions shall be
attached to this record.
6. When the recording media provided for in this section cannot be used
for any reason, the court clerk shall draw up a record of each session,
stating therein with the necessary breadth and detail the pleas and
arguments of the parties, any incidents and complaints and the decisions
taken
7. The record provided for in paragraphs 5 and 6 of this section shall be
drawn up in computerised form. It may not be handwritten save on those
occasions when the courtroom where the proceedings are held has no
computer facilities. In these cases, at the conclusion of the session, the
court clerk shall read out the record, making therein such corrections as
demanded by the parties and considered fit by the clerk. This record shall
be signed by the court clerk after the judge or chief justice, the parties,
their representatives or counsel and any experts.
Article 64
1. When the court calls for closing arguments, the parties shall present
succinct arguments about the facts, the evidence submitted and the
considerations of law on which their demands are based.
2. The submission period shall be ten successive days for plaintiffs and
defendants, being simultaneous for each of these groups of parties if in either
group more than one person has appeared not acting together under a single
representative.
3. The day for voting and sentencing shall be scheduled in the order stated
in paragraph 1 of the preceding section.
4. When the hearing has been held or the closing arguments have been
submitted, the single- or multi-judge bench shall declare that the lawsuit is
ready for judgement, save where the single- or multi-judge bench makes
use of the authority referred to in paragraph 2 of Section 61, in which case
said declaration shall be made immediately after the conclusion of
evidence submission as ordered.
Article 65
1. Questions not brought up in the statement of claim or the defendant’s
reply cannot be introduced at the hearing or in the closing arguments.
2. When the single- or multi-judge bench sees fit to allow grounds relevant for
the judgement yet different from the grounds pleaded to be discussed at the
hearing or in the closing arguments, the single- or multi-judge bench shall
notify the parties by means of an order, giving them ten days to be heard on
this respect. This order shall not be amenable to appeal.
3. The plaintiff may petition at the hearing or in the closing arguments for
the ruling to contain a particular pronouncement upon the existence and
amount of damages for which compensation is sought, if the proved
damages are already a matter of record in the case.
Article 66
Direct claims for judicial review of general provisions shall take preference,
and once concluded they shall be voted upon and judged before any other
claims for judicial review, regardless of instance or stage, save for the
special process for the protection of fundamental rights.
Sub-chapter 8. Ruling
Article 67
1. The ruling shall be handed down within the period of ten days of the
lawsuit’s being declared ready for judgement and shall decide upon all
questions disputed in the proceedings
2. When the single- or multi-judge bench observes that the ruling cannot
be handed down within the set period, the single-or multi-judge bench
shall cite due grounds and shall schedule a specific later date on which to
give judgement, notifying the parties accordingly
Article 68
1. The ruling shall give one of the following judgements:
a) Nonadmission of the claim for judicial review.
b) Upholding or dismissal of the claim for judicial review.
2. The ruling shall moreover contain the appropriate award of costs.
Article 69
The ruling shall declare the claim or any of the causes of action inadmissible
in the following cases:
a) Where the administrative court has no jurisdiction.
b) Where the claim has been filed by a person who is incapable,
not duly represented or without legal standing.
c) Where the object is provisions, acts or actions not amenable to
challenge.
d) Where the claim concerns res judicata or the same case is pending
in another court.
e) Where the initial statement of
fashion.
Article 70
1. The ruling shall dismiss the claim when the challenged provision, act or
action is lawful.
2. The ruling shall uphold the claim for judicial review when the provision,
action or act commits any legislative infraction, including détournement du
pouvoir.
“Détournement du pouvoir†is understood to be the exercise of
administrative powers for purposes other than those set by legislation.
Article 71
1. When the ruling upholds the claim for judicial review:
a) It shall declare the protested provision or act unlawful and quashed
in full or in part or shall order the challenged action stopped or modified.
b) If the claimant sought acknowledgement and reinstatement of a
legal situation specific to an individual, the ruling shall acknowledge
the said legal situation and take such measures as necessary for the
full reinstatement of the said legal situation.
c) If the measure consists in issuance of an act or performance of a
legally binding action, the ruling may set a period for compliance with
judgement.
d) If a demand for damages is upheld, the right to redress shall at all
events be declared, indicating likewise who is obligated to pay
compensation. The ruling shall also set the amount of the compensation
when asked expressly by the claimant to do so and sufficient proof is a
matter of case record. Otherwise the bases for determining the amount
shall be established and the definitive specification of the amount shall
be deferred until the judgement execution period.
2. Judicial authorities may not determine how the precepts of a provision
must be worded to replace quashed general provisions and may not
determine the discretionary contents of quashed acts.
Article 72
1. A ruling declaring a claim for judicial review inadmissible or dismissed
shall have effects amongst the parties only.
2. Quashing of a provision or act shall have effects for all persons affected.
Final rulings quashing a general provision shall have general effects as of
the date of publication of the judgement and the quashed precepts in the
same official periodical where the quashed provision was published. Final
rulings quashing an administrative act affecting an indeterminate multiple
number of persons shall also be published
3. Upholding of claims for acknowledgement and reinstatement of a legal
situation specific to an individual shall have effects amongst the parties
only. Nevertheless, such effects may be expanded to third parties in the
terms set in Sections 110 and 111
Article 73
Final rulings quashing a precept of a general provision shall not by
themselves affect the efficacy of final administrative acts or rulings applying
that precept before the quashing order takes general effect, save in the
case where the quashing of the precept means the exclusion or reduction
of penalties not yet fully executed.
Sub-chapter 9. Other modes of procedure termination
Article 74
1. The claimant may abandon the claim at any time prior to issuance of
judgement.
2. In order for abandonment by the representative in court to take effect, it
shall be necessary for the claimant to confirm abandonment or for the
representative to be authorised to abandon the claim. Should the public
administration abandon the proceedings, a certified copy of the resolution
made by the competent authority pursuant to the requirements set by the
pertinent laws or regulations must be submitted.
3. The court clerk shall notify the other parties, and in public interest claims
the clerk shall also notify the Prosecution Service. If after a five-day period
the parties and, where applicable, the Prosecution Service approve of the
abandonment or fail to oppose it, the court clerk shall hand down a decree
declaring the procedure terminated and ordering the case dismissed and
the administrative file returned to its office of origin.
4. In other events, or when damage to the public interest is observed, the
clerk shall report to the judge or court, which shall decide accordingly.
5. If the claimants are several, the procedure shall continue with respect to
those who have not abandoned the claim.
6. Abandonment shall not necessarily earn an award of costs.
7. When the claimant abandons the claim because the defendant
administration has fully recognised the claimant’s demands in administrative
proceedings, and afterwards the administration dictates a new act fully or
partially revoking the recognition, the plaintiff may ask that the procedure
be resumed as of its former state and extended to include the act of
revocation. If the single- or multi-judge bench sees fit, it shall grant the
parties a shared period of ten days in which to enter complementary pleas
concerning the revocation.
8. When a claim under appeal to the next higher court or to the Supreme
Court has been abandoned, the court clerk shall forthwith declare the
procedure terminated by decree, ordering the case dismissed and the
proceedings received from the court of origin returned.
Article 75
1. The defendants may accept the claimant’s demands, complying with the
requirements set in paragraph 2 of the preceding section.
2. When the defendants have accepted the claimant’s demands, the
single- or multi-judge bench shall forthwith hand down a ruling in agreement
with the claimant’s demands, save where that would be a clear violation of
law. In this latter case the judicial authority shall notify the parties of the
reasons why the parties may oppose the upholding of the demands and
give the parties a shared ten-day period in which they may petition to be
heard by the judicial authority. Subsequently the judicial authority shall rule
as it deems lawful.
3. If the defendants are several, the procedure shall continue with respect
to those that have not accepted the claimant’s demands.
Article 76
1. If, after a claim for judicial review is filed, the defendant administration
fully recognises the claimant’s demands in administrative proceedings,
any of the parties may so inform the single- or multi-judge bench when the
administration fails to do so.
2. The court clerk shall order a shared five-day period in which the parties
may petition to be heard by the court. After checking the parties’ allegations,
the single- or multi-judge bench shall hand down an order declaring the
procedure terminated and shall order the case dismissed and the
administrative file returned, if the recognition does not clearly violate the
law. Otherwise the court shall hand down a ruling according to law.
Article 77
1. When the trial deals with matters amenable to compromise, and
particularly when the trial concerns the estimating of sums, in proceedings
in first or single instance, after the suit and the reply thereto have been
lodged, the single- or multi-judge bench may, acting ex officio or at the
request of a party, submit to the parties for their consideration the
opportunity to acknowledge facts or documents, likewise the possibility of
reaching an agreement ending the controversy.
The representatives of the defendant public administrations shall need the
correct authorisation to engage in such transactions, under the rules
regulating the resolution of action by them.
2. Proceedings shall not be suspended during the conciliation attempt
save where all parties so request. The conciliation attempt may be made
at any time prior to the day when the lawsuit is declared ready for
judgement.
3. If the parties reach an agreement implying the disappearance of the
controversy, the single- or multi-judge bench shall hand down an order
declaring the procedure finished, provided that the agreement terms are
not manifestly unlawful or injurious to the public interest or third-party
interests.
Short procedure
Article 78
1. Single-judge administrative courts and single-judge central administrative
courts for judicial review utilise the short procedure to hear cases within
their competence arising over public administration personnel, foreign
citizens, non-admission of applications for political asylum, doping in sport,
and all matters involving sums of 30,000 euros or less.
2. Judicial review shall be initiated by filing suit, enclosing the document or
documents on which the plaintiff grounds his or her right and the documents
provided for in Section 45.2
3. After the suit is submitted, where the court clerk finds the court to hold
jurisdiction and objective competence, the clerk shall admit the claim.
Otherwise the clerk shall report to the court, which shall decide accordingly.
After the suit is admitted, the court clerk shall order notice served on the
defendant, summons the parties to a hearing at a fixed date and time and
instruct the defendant administration to dispatch the administrative file at
least fifteen days prior to the date for which the hearing is scheduled. In
scheduling hearings the clerk shall heed the criteria established in Section
182 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
That notwithstanding, if in the claim the claimant requests a ruling with no
need for evidence or hearing, the court clerk shall serve notice thereof on
the defendants to enable them to reply within twenty days, including
therein the admonishment referred to in Section 54, paragraph one. The
defendants may request a hearing within the first ten days of the term
allowed for responding to the claim. In such case, the court clerk shall
summons the parties to the hearing as laid down in the preceding
paragraph. Otherwise, the court clerk shall proceed as stipulated in Section
57, closing the case with no further formalities once a ruling has been
delivered, unless the judge exercises the powers attributed thereto under
Section 61.
4. After the administrative file is received, the court clerk shall send it to the
plaintiff and the interested parties who have appeared, to enable them to
submit arguments at the hearing.
5. After all or some of the parties have appeared, the judge shall declare
the hearing in session. If the parties fail to appear or if only the defendant appears, the single- or
multi-judge bench shall deem the plaintiff to have abandoned the claim for
judicial review and shall award costs to the plaintiff. If only the plaintiff
appears, the single- or multi-judge bench shall order the hearing to proceed
in the defendant’s absence.
6. The hearing shall begin with the claimant’s statement of the fundamental
points of the claimant’s requests or ratification of the statements made in
the statement of claim.
7. Forthwith the defendant may put to the court such arguments as in the
defendant’s best interest, commencing with any questions concerning
jurisdiction, objective and territorial competence and any other fact or
circumstance that may hinder the valid prosecution and conclusion of
the proceedings by means of a ruling on the merits of the case.
8. After the defendant has been heard on these questions, the judge shall
issue a decision. If the judge orders the trial to continue, the defendant may
ask to have the defence’s disagreement made a matter of record. The
claimant may do the same if the judge, in deciding upon any of the said
questions, should decline to allow the case to be heard by another singleor multi-judge court or deem that the
claim for judicial review should be
declared inadmissible.
9. If in the arguments the defendant has challenged the suitability of the
procedure due to the amount at issue, the judge shall, before the
submission of evidence or the closing arguments, as the case may be,
urge the parties to reach an agreement on the point. If no agreement is
forthcoming, the judge shall decide and shall apply the appropriate
procedure for the amount that the judge has determined. The judge’s
decision shall not be amenable to appeal.
10. If the procedural questions to which the paragraphs above refer do
not arise, or if such questions arise and the judge decides to proceed
with the trial, the parties shall be allowed to speak in order to establish
clearly the facts on which their demands are based. If there is no
agreement on the facts, evidence shall be proposed. Once the evidence
that is not impertinent or pointless has been admitted, such evidence
shall be submitted forthwith.
11. When it is gathered from the parties’ arguments that all defendants
agree to the plaintiff’s demands, that the controversy is purely legal, that
no evidence is proposed or that all evidence proposed is inadmissible, and
that the parties do not wish to submit closing arguments, the judge shall
issue a formal observation in that sense, and if no party offers opposition
the judge shall hand down a ruling without further delay.
When opposition is offered, the judge shall decide. Where the judge
upholds the opposition, the hearing shall proceed as regulated in the
paragraphs below. Where the judge dismisses the opposition, this shall be
stated in the ruling handed down as provided for in the paragraph above
as a special pronouncement, before the judge decides upon the merits of
the case.
12. In short trials evidence shall be submitted in the same fashion as in
ordinary trials, insofar as not incompatible with the steps of the short trial.
13. Questions to be put when examining the parties shall be proposed
orally, without admitting written interrogatories.
14. Documents containing written questions and cross-questions shall not
be admitted for securing oral evidence. When the number of witnesses is
excessive and, in the view of the judicial authority, the witnesses’
statements may constitute pointless repetition of testimony concerning
matters that have been made sufficiently clear, the judicial authority may
limit the number of witnesses at its discretion.
15. There shall be no objection to witnesses. Only in the closing arguments
may the parties make observations with respect to witnesses’ personal
circumstances and the veracity of witnesses’ statements.
16. In the taking of expert testimony, the general rules on the selection of
experts by random drawing shall not be applicable.
17. Parties may appeal against the judge’s decisions to refuse evidence or
to admit evidence denounced as obtained in violation of fundamental
rights by filing a petition for reconsideration at once, to be substantiated
and decided upon forthwith.
18. Should the judge deem that there is some relevant evidence that
cannot be submitted at the hearing and no mala fides on the part of the
person burdened with furnishing the evidence is involved, the judge shall
suspend the hearing. The competent court clerk shall immediately
schedule the place, date and time for resuming the hearing without the
need to give further notice.
19. After the submission of any evidence and any closing arguments, and
after hearing legal counsel, the persons who are party to the case may, if
the judge pleases, give any oral statements they feel advisable for their
defence at the conclusion of the hearing, before the hearing is terminated.
20. The judge shall hand down a ruling within ten days of the hearing.
Appeals against procedural decisions
Article 79
1. Petitions for reconsideration may be filed against writs and orders not
amenable to appeal to a higher court or to the Supreme Court. Nevertheless
the challenged decision shall be put into effect save where the judicial
authority decides otherwise ex officio or at the request of a party.
2. Appeals for reversal are not admitted against decisions expressly
excepted from such appeals herein, nor against orders deciding upon
appeals for reversal or petitions for clarification of certain points.
3. Petitions for reconsideration shall be filed within five days counting from
the day following the date of notification of the challenged decision.
4. When the petition is filed in due time and fashion, the court clerk shall
serve copies of the document on the other parties, who shall have a shared
period of five days in which to challenge the petition should they see fit.
After the said period, the judicial authority shall decide by an order within
the third day.
Article 80
1. Orders handed down by single-judge administrative courts and singlejudge central administrative courts in
proceedings heard in first instance in the following cases are open to appeal with devolutive effects:
a) Orders ending separate proceedings for precautionary measures.
b) Orders given in execution of judgement.
c) Orders declaring nonadmission of the claim for judicial review or
making the claim impossible to continue.
d) Orders given on the authorisations provided for in Section 8.5.
e) Orders given in application of Sections 83 and 84.
2. Appeals to the next higher court filed against orders handed down by
single-judge administrative courts and single-judge central administrative
courts in the events stated in Sections 110 and 111 shall be governed by
the same appeal admission rules as the ruling whose extension is sought.
3. Appeals to the next higher court concerning orders of single-judge
administrative courts and single-judge central administrative courts shall
be processed as established in section 2 of this chapter.
Sub-chapter 2. Ordinary appeals to the next higher court
Article 81
1. The rulings of single-judge administrative courts and single-judge central
administrative courts shall be amenable to appeals to the next higher
court, save where the following cases are concerned:
a) Cases involving sums of 30,000 euros or less.
b) Cases concerning election matters included in Section 8.4.
2. The following rulings shall always be amenable:
a) Rulings declaring the appeal inadmissible in the case in
subparagraph a) of the paragraph above.
b) Rulings handed down in the procedure for the protection of
fundamental personal rights.
c) Rulings deciding upon litigation amongst public administrations.
d) Rulings deciding upon indirect challenges to general provisions.
Article 82
Appeals to the next higher court may be filed by the persons who hold
legal standing under this act as plaintiff or defendant.
Article 83
1. Appeals to the next higher court are admissible with both devolutive and
suspensive effects, save where this act provides otherwise.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of the paragraph above, the judge may
at any time, at the request of the interested party, take the pertinent
precautionary measures to ensure execution of the ruling, heeding the
criteria established in Chapter II of Title VI.
Article 84
1. The filing of an appeal to the next higher court shall not forestall
provisional execution of the challenged ruling.
The parties favoured by the ruling may request provisional execution.
When injury of any nature may stem from provisional execution, the
appropriate measures to avoid or palliate such injury may be taken.
Likewise a bond or some security may be demanded to cover liability. In
that event provisional execution may not take place until the bond or
measure is complete and accredited in the case records.
2. The bond shall be furnished as established in Section 133.2.
3. Provisional execution shall not be ordered when it may cause irreversible
situations or damage impossible to redress.
4. The parties shall have a shared five-day period in which they may
petition to be heard by the court. The judge shall decide on provisional
execution at the end of the following five days.
5. When the party requesting provisional execution is a public
administration, it shall be exempt from furnishing a bond.
Article 85
1. The notice of appeal shall be filed with the court that handed down the
ruling at issue, within fifteen days of the date of notice, in a well-reasoned
document that must contain the arguments on which the appeal is based.
If at the end of fifteen days no notice of appeal has been filed, the court
clerk shall declare the ruling final.
2. If the submitted notice meets the requirements set in the paragraph
above and refers to a ruling amenable to appeal, the court clerk shall hand
down a decision admitting the appeal, against which decision there can be
no appeal, and shall notify the other parties accordingly. The other parties
shall have the shared period of fifteen days in which to mount an opposition.
Otherwise, the court clerk shall inform the judge, who may, should the
judge see fit, deny admission by means of an order. Motions for admission
of the appeal thus denied may be filed and must be substantiated as
established in the Code of Civil Procedure.
3. In the notice of appeal and opposition thereto, the parties may ask for
the admission of evidence refused or not duly submitted in first instance
for reasons not attributable to the parties. In the proceedings to which
Section 23.3 refers, civil servants shall give in the said documents an
address for notifications in the venue of the competent administrative
division.
4. Where the defendant deems the appeal to have been unduly admitted,
the defendant must so state in the opposition. In that case the court clerk
shall notify the appellant of this argument, giving the appellant five days.
The defendant may also, in the same document, concur in the appeal,
reasoning the points on which the defendant believes the ruling is
injurious to the defendant. In that case the court clerk shall give notice of
the opposition to the appellant, allotting a ten-day period for the sole
purpose of opposing the defendant’s concurrence in the appeal.
5. After the periods to which paragraphs 2 and 4 above refer have ended,
the court shall refer the case records and the administrative file, in the
company of the documents filed, to the higher court, ordering the parties to
be summonsed to appear within thirty days before the competent
administrative division. That division shall decide on the disputed admission
of the appeal or evidence.
6. When the division deems the evidence to be in order, the parties shall
be summonsed to the submission of the evidence.
7. In the notice of appeal and opposition, the parties may ask the judicial
authority to schedule a hearing, to receive closing arguments or to declare
the lawsuit ready for judgement forthwith.
8. The court clerk shall decide if a hearing is to be held. If so, the court
clerk shall schedule the hearing or shall schedule the presentation of
closing arguments, if requested by all the parties or if evidence has been
submitted. When the hearing has been held or the closing arguments have been
submitted, the court clerk shall declare that the lawsuit is ready for
judgement.
9. The division shall hand down a ruling within ten days of the declaration
that the lawsuit is ready for judgement.
10. When the division revokes on appeal a challenged ruling declaring a
claim for judicial review inadmissible, the division shall rule upon the merits
of the case of judicial review at the same time.
Sub-chapter 3. Appeals to the Supreme Court
Article 866
1. Rulings passed at first instance by the Contentious-Administrative
Courts and those passed in single instance or on appeal by the
Contentious-Administrative Division of the High Court and the Contentious
Administrative Divisions of the Supreme Courts of Justice will be open to
an appeal for judicial review at the Contentious-Administrative Division of
the Supreme Court.
In the case of rulings passed in the first instance by the ContentiousAdministrative Courts, only sentences containing
doctrine which is deemed
to be seriously damaging to general interest and which is liable to have an
extended effect may be appealed.
2. Rulings passed in proceedings protecting the fundamental right to meet
and contentious-electoral processes are excepted from the provisions of
the previous section.
3. Rulings that, being open to judicial review, have been passed by the
Contentious-administrative Division of the Supreme Courts of Justice will
only be open to appeal at the Contentious-administrative Division of the
Supreme Court if the appeal is based on an infringement of Spanish or
European Legislation which is a relevant and determining factor in the
judgment being challenged, as long as they have been appropriately
invoked in the proceedings or considered by the ruling Division.
Where the appeal is grounded on an infringement of legislation issued by
the Autonomous Community, jurisdiction will be held by a Section of the
Contentious-administrative Division that is based at the Supreme Court of
Justice made up of the President of that Division, the President or
Presidents of the other Contentious-administrative Divisions and, as
appropriate, the Sections within them, who may not be more than two in
number, and such Senior Judges of that Division, of Divisions, as may be
needed to make up a total of five members.
If the Contentious-administrative Division, or Divisions, has more than one
Section, the Governing Division of the Supreme Court of Justice will, for
each court year, establish sittings in accordance with which the Section
Presidents will occupy the posts as regulated in this section. This will also
be established for all the Senior Judges who serve the Division or Divisions.
4. Decisions of the Court of Auditors in matters of accounting liability will
be open to judicial review in the cases provided for in its Organisational
Act.
The preparatory writ must, in separate sections with headings expressing
what is contained in them:
a) Show compliance with the requirements for form in the time for
filing, legitimacy and the fact that the ruling being challenged can be
appealed.
b) Identify the legislation or jurisprudence considered to be infringed
precisely, justifying that they were referred to in the proceedings, or
taken into consideration by the Court in question, or that the latter
must have observed them even though they were not referred to.
c) If the infringement is in relation to legislation or jurisprudence relating
to procedural acts or guarantees that occurred without a defence,
proof that rectification of the Court’s misdemeanour or transgression
was requested at the time, if there was an appropriate procedural time
for this.
d) Justify that the alleged infringements were relevant and determining
factors in the decision taken in the ruling being appealed.
e) Justify, in the event that this was passed by the Contentiousadministrative Division of the Supreme Court of Justice, that the
allegedly infringed legislation falls within Spanish or European Union
Law.
f) In particular, grounds, with sole reference to the case, that one or
any of the cases exist that, in accordance with paragraphs 2 and 3 of
the preceding article, provide an insight into the objective interest in
judicial review and the suitability of a ruling from the ContentiousAdministrative Division of the Supreme Court of Justice.
3. If the preparatory writ is not submitted with a period of thirty days, the
ruling or order will be final and will be declared as such in a decree from
the Court Clerk. A direct appeal for review, as regulated in article 102 a of
this Act, is the only remedy against this decision.
4. If, although submitted on time, it does not comply with the requirements
imposed in paragraph 2 of this article, a grounded order will take the
appeal for judicial review as not having been prepared, refusing to summon
the parties and remit to the Supreme Court. The only remedy against this
order is to lodge a complaint which will be in the form provided for in the
Civil Procedure Act.
5. If the requirements demanded in paragraph 2 are complied with, the
Division, in an order which will sufficiently reason its concurrence, will
accept the appeal for judicial review as prepared, summoning the parties
to appear within a period of thirty days before the Contentious-administrative
Division of the Supreme Court, along with referral to the latter of the original
orders and the case record. If it considers it appropriate, it will also issue a
succinct, grounded opinion on the objective interest of the appeal in
creating jurisprudence, which it will attach to the writ of referral.
6. The appellant may not lodge any kind of appeal against the order
declaring the appeal for judicial review as prepared, but may contest its
admission when appearing before the Supreme Court, if this is done within
the summons period.
Non-admission to proceedings of an appeal for judicial review will entail
an award for costs against the appellant, with this award being limited to a
part of them or a maximum amount.
Article 9112
1. Filing the appeal for judicial review will not prevent provisional execution
of the challenged ruling.
The parties favoured by the ruling may request provisional execution.
Where this may cause damages of any nature appropriate measures may
be agreed to prevent or palliate such damages. Likewise, a bond or
guarantee may be demanded to cover them. Provisional execution may
not take place until the bond or measure agreed is in place and accredited
on the case records.
2. The bond shall be furnished in accordance with the provisions of article
133.2 of this Act.
3. The Court of origin shall refuse provisional execution where this may
create irreversible situations or cause damages that are impossible to
redress.
4. When an appeal for judicial review is held to be prepared, the Court
Clerk shall make a certified copy of the case records and the decision
appealed against for the purposes provided for in this article.
Article 9213
1. Once the appeal is admitted, the Court Clerk for the Admissions Section
of the Contentious-Administrative Division of the Supreme Court will issue
a measure of organisation which will refer acts to the relevant Section of
that Division for processing and ruling and in which the appellant will be
advised that there is a thirty day deadline, from the date of notification, to
submit the writ lodging the appeal for judicial review to the Secretariat of
the relevant Section. During this period the procedural steps and case
records will be on display at the Court office.
2. If the deadline expires without submission of the notice of appeal, the
Court Clerk will declare the appeal lapsed and order the return of the
proceedings to the Division of origin. The only appeal that may be lodged
against this declaration is that provided for in article 102 a of this Act.
3. The notice of appeal must, in separate sections with headings expressing
what is contained in them:
a) Give a reasoned statement as to why the legislation or jurisprudence,
as identified in the preparatory writ, have been infringed, without
including others which were not considered at that time. An analysis
must be made of the Supreme Court judgments which, in the opinion
of the party, express such jurisprudence to justify their applicability to
the case; and
b) Specify the purpose of the claims made by the party and of the
rulings requested.
4. If the notice of appeal does not comply with the requirements of the
preceding paragraph, the Section of the contentious-administrative division
of the Supreme Court with jurisdiction to rule on the appeal will agree to
hear the appellant regarding the non-compliance detected and, without
further proceedings, will pass a ruling refusing to admit it if, after the
hearing, it is understood that the non-compliance was certain. This will
impose the costs arising on the party and such imposition may be limited
to some part of them or a maximum figure.
5. Otherwise, it will be agreed to send the notice of appeal to the party or
parties appealed against and in person so that they may oppose the
appeal within the common deadline of thirty days. During this period the
procedural steps and case records will be on display at the Court office.
The statement of opposition may not seek non-admission of the appeal.
6. Once the deadline has passed, whether or not statements of opposition
are submitted, the Section with jurisdiction to rule on the appeal, de oficio
or at the request of any of the parties made by additional requests in the
notice of appeal or statement of opposition, will agree a public hearing,
unless the nature of the matter makes this unnecessary in which case it
will declare that the appeal is concluded and awaiting voting and ruling.
The indication of the day that the hearing will be held or when the voting
and ruling will take place will respect the schedule which, giving priority to
appeals in order of receipt, has been established.
7. When the nature of the matter makes it necessary, the President of the
Contentious-administrative Division of the Supreme Court, de oficio or at
the request of the Senior Judges of the Section indicated above, it may be
agreed that public hearings or acts of voting and ruling take place before a
Plenary session of the Division.
8. The relevant Section, or Plenary session of the Division in the case
provided for in the preceding paragraph, will pass judgment within ten
days after deliberation on voting and ruling.
Procedure to ensure market unity: Article 127 a30
1. Where the National Markets and Competition Commission considers
that any order, decision, act, inactivity or patently unlawful act of any public
authority is contrary to freedom of establishment or movement according
to the terms of Law 19/2013, on Ensuring Market Unity, it may bring the
contentious-administrative appeal regulated in this chapter.
2. The time limit for bringing a contentious-administrative appeal to ensure
market unity shall be two months in accordance with sections 1 to 3 of
article 46. Where the appeal is brought at the request of an economic
operator, the two-month time limit shall be calculated from when the
request is submitted to the National Markets and Competition Commission.
Article 127 b31
1. On the day that the appeal to ensure market unity is brought by the
National Markets and Competition Commission, or on the following day,
the clerk of the court shall urgently summons the relevant administrative
body, enclosing a copy of the application, to send the file containing the
reports and information requested in the appeal within five days of receiving
the summons, with an official warning in relation to the provisions of article
48.
2. Failure to send the administrative file within the time limit established in
the preceding section shall not hold up the proceedings.
3. The clerk of the court shall inform the applicant regarding the file and
other procedural steps, so that the applicant may within the wholly fixed
time limit of ten days give proper form to the claim and accompany it with
the appropriate documents. If the administrative file is received after the
claim has been drawn up, the parties shall be granted the additional
procedural step of pleadings.
4. Once the claim has been drawn up, the clerk of the court shall notify the
defendants, so that, on presentation of the file, they can submit their
statement of defence within the wholly fixed time limit of ten days and
accompany it with the documents they consider appropriate.
5. The procedural step relating to the statement of defence having been
completed, on the following day the court shall decide regarding the
interlocutory stage of proceedings in accordance with the general rules
laid down in this law and subject to the provisions of article 57. In no event
shall the time allocated to examining evidence exceed twenty days.
Title V: Special procedures
6. Once the proceedings have concluded, the court shall issue its decision
within five days. The decision must uphold the appeal where the order, act
or decision incurs any infringement of law that affects freedom of
establishment or movement, including the misuse of powers.
In accordance with the provisions of article 71, the decision upholding the
appeal must imply correction of the infringing conduct, as well as
compensation for any harm and loss, including lost earnings, caused by
that conduct.
In matters where there may be no subsequent appeal, the court may
summon the parties to appear in order to issue its decision orally, setting
out verbally the reasoning on which its decision is based, ruling on the
grounds for the appeal and the defence case and delivering its ruling, in
accordance with the provisions of articles 68 to 71.
Failure to appear by all or any of the parties shall not prevent the sentence
being issued orally.
As regards recording and documenting the appearance, the provisions of
article 63 shall apply.
Where the decision has been issued orally, the clerk of the court shall
issue a certificate containing all the pronouncements of the ruling,
expressly stating its final nature and the administrative act to which it
refers. The certificate shall be issued within five days with the parties being
notified.
The above certificate shall be recorded and added to the court’s record
book of decisions. The video recording of the appearance shall be
combined with the proceedings.
7. During the proceedings, any economic operator having a direct interest
in the contested decision, act or order being overturned and who has not
appealed against it independently may apply to take part as an appellant.
The operator’s application will be decided by means of an order, after a
hearing with the parties, within five days.
Where the operator is granted leave to take part, the proceedings shall not
begin again from the start, but the operator shall be considered a party to
the proceedings for all legal purposes and may defend the claims submitted
or those submitted by the operator himself, where procedure allows him
the opportunity to do so.
The operator may use the appropriate appeals against any decisions he
considers detrimental to his interests, even where the National Markets
and Competition Commission or other parties to the proceedings are in
agreement with them.
8. The contentious-administrative division of the national high court shall
allow any proceedings to be heard jointly with those brought by the
National Markets and Competition Commission where they are initiated by
an economic operator before that or any other court and are brought
against the same order or act and based on the infringement of freedom of
establishment or movement in accordance with the provisions of this law.
9. For all legal purposes, these appeals shall be handled has a matter of
priority.
10. As regards anything not provided for in this chapter, proceedings to ensure
market unity shall be governed by the general rules contained in this law.
Article 127 c32
1. The National Markets and Competition Commission may in its application
request the suspension of the contested order, act or decision, as well as
any other precautionary measure to ensure the decision is effective.
2. Where suspension of the contested order, act or decision is requested,
it shall occur automatically, once the appeal has been granted leave to
proceed and without requiring guarantees in relation to any kind of
detriment that may result. The administration whose act is the subject of
the appeal may apply for the suspension to be lifted within three months of
it being ordered, provided that it can prove that its continuance could result
in serious disruption to the general interest or those of a third-party, which
the court shall consider in detail.
Once the application has been submitted, the National Markets and
Competition Commission shall be notified so that, within ten days, it can
make appropriate submissions with a view to the continuance or lifting of
the suspension in light of the conflicting interests.
Once the above procedural step has been concluded, the court shall
decide what it considers appropriate by means of order within five days.
3. Applications for any other precautionary measure shall be handled as
provided for in Title VI, Chapter II.
Procedure for a court order extinguishing a political party
Article 127 d34
1. The procedure for a court order extinguishing a political party shall be
governed by the provisions of article 78, with the following special features:
a) The claim must specify which of the grounds contained in article 12
a. 1 of Organic Law 6/2002, of 27 June, on Political Parties, the
application for the court order extinguishing the party is based on.
b) The claim must be submitted within two months from the day
following the expiry of the time limit indicated in article 12 a. 2 of the
same law.
c) Where the ruling orders the extinction of the party, the register shall
be notified so that the registration of the party can be cancelled.
2. The public prosecution service shall be a party to the proceedings.
Deadlines
Article 128
1. Deadlines may not be extended. Once they have expired, the appropriate
court clerk shall hold the right to have expired and the step in proceedings
not used to have been forfeited. Nevertheless, the appropriate document
hall be admitted and shall have its legal effects if it is submitted within the
day when notice of the decision is served, save where deadlines for
preparing or filing claims are concerned.
2. During the month of August, the deadline for filing for judicial review and
all other deadlines provided for in this act shall be prorogued, save for the
procedure for the protection of fundamental rights, wherein the month of
August shall be a working month.
3. In urgent cases or when the circumstances of the case make it
necessary, the parties may petition the judicial authority to declare nonworking days working days in the procedure
for the protection of fundamental rights or in incidental proceedings for suspension or other
precautionary measures. The single- or multi-judge bench shall hear the
other parties and decide via court order within three days. The judicial
authority shall at all events declare as requested when refusal to do so may cause irreversible injury.
CHAPTER II
Precautionary measures
Article 129
1. The persons concerned may petition for precautionary measures to be
taken to ensure ruling efficacy at any stage in the process.
2. If a general provision is challenged and suspension of the legal force of
the challenged precepts is requested, the petition must be made in the
application for judicial review or the statement of claim.
Article 130
1. After a circumstantiated evaluation of all the conflicting interests, the
precautionary measure may be ordered only when execution of the act or
application of the provision may render judicial review moot.
2. The precautionary measure may be refused when serious disturbance
of general or third-party interests may ensue, which disturbance the singleor multi-judge bench shall weigh
considering the circumstances.
Article 131
Incidental proceedings for precautionary measures shall be separate
proceedings. Hearing of the opposing party shall be ordered by the court
clerk within a period not exceeding ten days. A deciding order shall be
given within the following five days. If the defendant administration has not
yet appeared, the hearing shall be held with the agency that committed the
activity challenged.
Article 132
1. Precautionary measures shall remain in force until a final ruling is given
ending the procedure in which the measures were set, or until the said
procedure is terminated for any of the causes provided for in this act.
Nevertheless, precautionary measures may be modified or revoked during
the course of the procedure should the circumstances under which they
were taken change.
2. Precautionary measures may not be modified or revoked because of
progress made during the proceedings towards analysing the questions of
form or legal merits of the case being debated, nor because of modification
of the criteria the single- or multi-judge bench applied to evaluate the facts
in deciding upon the incidental proceedings for precautionary measures.
Article 133
1. When any injury of any nature may stem from a precautionary measure,
the appropriate measures to avoid or palliate the said injuries may be
taken. Likewise a bond or some security may be demanded to cover
liability.
2. The bond or security may be furnished in any fashion admitted by law.
The precautionary measure shall not be put into effect until the bond or
security is furnished and accredited in the case records or until there is a
record of compliance with the measures ordered to avoid or palliate the
injuries to which the paragraph above refers.
3. When the measure has been lifted by a ruling or for any other reason,
the administration, or the person claiming the right to redress for damages,
may apply for such redress to the same judicial authority through incidental
proceedings within the year following the date when the measure is lifted.
If no such petition is lodged within the said period, such petitions are
waived or the right is not proved, the security shall be released.
Article 134
1. The proper administrative body shall be notified of the order containing
the measure and shall issue orders for immediate compliance. The
provisions of Chapter IV of Title IV shall be applicable with the exception of
Section 104.2.
2. Any suspension of the validity of general provisions shall be published
pursuant to the provisions of Section 107.2. The same terms shall be
observed when the suspension refers to an administrative act affecting an
indeterminate number of different persons.
Article 135
1. When the parties allege the existence of especially urgent circumstances,
the single- or multi-judge bench may resolve as follows, without hearing
the opposing party.
Court costs
Article 13935
1. In the first or single instance, the court, when ruling or issuing an order
on appeals or incidents that were brought before it, costs will be imposed
on the party who has seen their claims dismissed unless it deems, and
reasons as such, that the case presented serious doubts on facts or on
legal principle.
Where claims are partially allowed or disallowed, each party shall pay the
costs associated with its actions and one half of any communal costs,
unless the court, on duly reasoned grounds, imposes costs on just one of
them on the basis that their action was taken, or their appeal lodged, in
bad faith or recklessly.
2. In appeals, costs will be awarded against the appellant if the appeal is
completely dismissed, unless the court, on duly reasoned grounds, finds
attendant circumstances justifying not making the award.
3. In an appeal for judicial review costs will be awarded in accordance with
the provisions of article 93.4.
4. An award for costs may be in full, partial or up to a maximum amount.
5. To exact costs awarded against private persons, the Administration to
which costs are owed will use enforced recovery proceedings where no
voluntary payment is forthcoming.
6. Costs will never be awarded against the Public Prosecution Service.
7. Costs of proceedings will be regulated and set in accordance with the
provisions of the Civil Procedure Act.
Appeals against certain decisions, rulings and orders
The following are appealable:
1. Administrative decisions made by the Bank of Spain that are not
susceptible of ordinary appeal and rulings of the minister for economic
affairs to settle ordinary appeals against decisions of the Bank of Spain, as
well as orders made by the aforesaid entity, directly, in sole instance,
before the contentious-administrative division of the national high court, in
accordance with the provisions of Law 13/1994, of 1 June, on the autonomy
of the Bank of Spain.
2. Administrative decisions made by the National Securities Market
Commission that are not susceptible of ordinary appeal and rulings by the
minister for economic affairs to settle ordinary appeals against decisions
issued by the National Securities Market Commission, as well as orders
made by the aforesaid entity, directly, in sole instance, before the
contentious-administrative division of the national high court.
3. The rulings and decisions of the chairman and board of the National
Competition Commission (Comisión Nacional de la Competencia), directly,
in sole instance, before the contentious-administrative division of the
national high court.
4. The decisions of the arbitration board governed by Organic Law 3/1996,
of 27 December, partially amending Organic Law 8/1980, of 22 September,
on the funding of the autonomous regions, directly, in sole instance, before
the contentious-administrative division of the national high court.
5. The decisions and orders issued by the Spanish Data Protection Agency
(Agencia Española de Protección de Datos), National Markets and
Competition Commission, Economic and Social Council (Consejo
Económico y Social), Cervantes Institute, Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo
de Seguridad Nuclear), Universities Council (Consejo de Universidades)
and the Second Section of the Intellectual Property Commission, directly,
before the contentious-administrative division of the national high court.
6. Resolutions of the Ministry for the Economy and Competitiveness
resolving appeals against decisions of the Institute of Accountancy and
Paragraph 6 is added by final provision 3 of Law 22/2015, of 20 July.
Section 7 is repealed and section 5 is amended by the repealing provision and final provision 2,
respectively, of Law 3/2013, of 4 June.
DIFF:
- DCHO. DE DANOS [EG RESP.PATRIMONIAL DE LAS ADMIN.PUBLS]
- DCHO DE COMPETENCIA
CNMC = UK CMA
El Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad [= UK SOSBIS]
encargado de la propuesta y ejecución de la política del Gobierno en materia económica y de reformas para la mejora de la competitividad, de desarrollo industrial y de la pequeña y mediana empresa, de investigación científica, desarrollo tecnológico e innovación en todos los sectores, de política comercial y de apoyo a la empresa, así como del resto de competencias y atribuciones que le confiere el ordenamiento jurídico.
Son órganos superiores del Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad:
- a) La Secretaría de Estado de Economía y Apoyo a la Empresa.
- b) La Secretaría de Estado de Comercio.
- c) La Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación.
4. Dependen directamente del titular del departamento los siguientes órganos directivos:
- a) La Secretaría General de Industria y de la Pequeña y Mediana Empresa, con rango de Subsecretaría.
- b) La Subsecretaría de Economía, Industria y Competitividad.
La Administración Pública como infractora de las normas de competencia¿Aplicación extensiva o racional?
- responsab. de la AP por favorecer la distorsión de la libre competencia
Contencioso-administrativo
Treuhand
Ni la Comisión Europea ni el TJUE se han pronunciado expresamente sobre esta cuestión, por lo que la resolución del TS constituye una auténtica novedad…De lo expuesto se deduce que en este punto la Audiencia Nacional se mantuvo en la línea clásica de la Comisión y del Tribunal de Justicia, mientras que la CNC y el TS realizan un planteamiento novedoso.
B) ¿Puede la Autoridad de Competencia sancionar como facilitador de una conducta anticompetitiva a una empresa que favorece la implementación del cártel, aunque no opere en ningún mercado relacionado con la infracción?
Si… es importante destacar que resulta indiscutido que Treuhand es una empresa que opera en el mercado a cambio de una retribución, lo que no ocurre con la Consejería de Agricultura de la Junta de Andalucía.
En el Reino Unido la posibilidad de que las empresas puedan reclamar daños y perjuicios por infracciones del derecho de la competencia se ha excluido debido a la limitación ex turpi causa. En concreto, en el caso de Safeway Stores Limited & Others v. Twigger & Othersas el Tribunal resolvió que la empresa no podía demandar a sus antiguosdirectores las sanciones que se impondrían por la conducta anticompetitiva de la empresa ya que los daños son consecuencia de su propio acto delictivo. Sin embargo, cabe destacar que, si la acción hubiese sido iniciada por acreedores u otros terceros (como ha sido el caso en la sentencia holandesa) y no la empresa en sí misma, tal vez la solución sería diferente. Será interesante ver si la prohibición de que la empresa sea indemnizada por sus propias acciones ilegales se aplicará de la misma manera en otras jurisdicciones, como ya ha sido planteado en el caso pendiente de resolución en Alemania.
La responsabilidad civil en España
En España, la acción indemnizatoria por sanciones de competencia contra directivos se puede plantear sobre la base de la Ley de Sociedades de Capital (LSC). La LSC prevé las acciones individuales y sociales de responsabilidad contra administradores que suponen una especial aplicación de la responsabilidad extracontractual integrada en un marco societario.
Estas acciones permiten que las sociedades puedan repetir contra sus administradores los daños causados siempre y cuando el administrador, en el desempeño de sus funciones en el cargo, no haya actuado dentro de la diligencia debida de un “ordenado empresario” y haya infringido un deber legal de carácter imperativo, así lo ha resuelto el Tribunal Supremo (sentencias disponibles aquí y aquí). En este sentido, el Supremo ha destacado que los administradores deben “asegurarse del cumplimiento de esta exigencia legal, y que su incumplimiento les sea directamente imputable”.
Aunque en España todavía no se conoce ningún pronunciamiento sobre la reclamación de daños por multas de competencia, la posibilidad de hacerlo fue confirmado por la sentencia de la Audiencia Provincial de junio de 2018 (disponible aquí) en los casos en que existe una responsabilidad propia y directa del administrador. Asimismo, los tribunales han estimado acciones de daños contra directivos por incurrir en otras multas administrativas, como sanciones tributarias, cuyo razonamiento posiblemente podría ser extendido al ámbito de la normativa de competencia.
Por todo ello, y aunque a nivel internacional la cuestión de si se puede reclamar las sanciones de competencia mediante acciones civiles contra las personas responsables es todavía controvertida, ES POSIBLE
Ley 40/2015, de 1 de octubre, de Régimen Jurídico del Sector Público
La responsabilidad patrimonial de las APs
Articulo 32. Principios de la responsabilidad.
1. Los particulares tendrán derecho a ser indemnizados por las Administraciones
Públicas correspondientes, de toda lesión que sufran en cualquiera de sus bienes y
derechos, siempre que la lesión sea consecuencia del funcionamiento normal o anormal de
los servicios públicos salvo en los casos de fuerza mayor o de daños que el particular tenga
el deber jurÃdico de soportar de acuerdo con la Ley.
La anulación en vÃa administrativa o por el orden jurisdiccional contencioso administrativo
de los actos o disposiciones administrativas no presupone, por sà misma, derecho a la
indemnización.
2. En todo caso, el daño alegado habrá de ser efectivo, evaluable económicamente e
individualizado con relación a una persona o grupo de personas.
3. Asimismo, los particulares tendrán derecho a ser indemnizados por las
Administraciones Públicas de toda lesión que sufran en sus bienes y derechos como
consecuencia de la aplicación de actos legislativos de naturaleza no expropiatoria de
derechos que no tengan el deber jurÃdico de soportar cuando asà se establezca en los
propios actos legislativos y en los términos que en ellos se especifiquen.
La responsabilidad del Estado legislador podrá surgir también en los siguientes
supuestos, siempre que concurran los requisitos previstos en los apartados anteriores:
a) Cuando los daños deriven de la aplicación de una norma con rango de ley declarada
inconstitucional, siempre que concurran los requisitos del apartado 4.
b) Cuando los daños deriven de la aplicación de una norma contraria al Derecho de la
Unión Europea, de acuerdo con lo dispuesto en el apartado 5.
4. Si la lesión es consecuencia de la aplicación de una norma con rango de ley declarada
inconstitucional, procederá su indemnización cuando el particular haya obtenido, en
cualquier instancia, sentencia firme desestimatoria de un recurso contra la actuación
administrativa que ocasionó el daño, siempre que se hubiera alegado la inconstitucionalidad
posteriormente declarada.
5. Si la lesión es consecuencia de la aplicación de una norma declarada contraria al
Derecho de la Unión Europea, procederá su indemnización cuando el particular haya
obtenido, en cualquier instancia, sentencia firme desestimatoria de un recurso contra la
actuación administrativa que ocasionó el daño, siempre que se hubiera alegado la infracción
del Derecho de la Unión Europea posteriormente declarada. Asimismo, deberán cumplirse
todos los requisitos siguientes:
a) La norma ha de tener por objeto conferir derechos a los particulares.
b) El incumplimiento ha de estar suficientemente caracterizado.
c) Ha de existir una relación de causalidad directa entre el incumplimiento de la
obligación impuesta a la Ap responsable por el Derecho de la Unión Europea y el
daño sufrido por los particulares.
6. La sentencia que declare la inconstitucionalidad de la norma con rango de ley o
declare el carácter de norma contraria al Derecho de la Unión Europea producirá efectos
desde la fecha de su publicación en el «BoletÃn Oficial del Estado» o en el «Diario Oficial de
la Unión Europea», según el caso, salvo que en ella se establezca otra cosa.
7. La responsabilidad patrimonial del Estado por el funcionamiento de la Administración
de Justicia se regirá por la Ley Orgánica 6/1985, de 1 de julio, del Poder Judicial.
8. El Consejo de Ministros fijará el importe de las indemnizaciones que proceda abonar
cuando el Tribunal Constitucional haya declarado, a instancia de parte interesada, la
existencia de un funcionamiento anormal en la tramitación de los recursos de amparo o de
las cuestiones de inconstitucionalidad.
El procedimiento para fijar el importe de las indemnizaciones se tramitará por el
Ministerio de Justicia, con audiencia al Consejo de Estado.
9. Se seguirá el procedimiento previsto en la Ley de Procedimiento Administrativo
Común de las Administraciones Públicas para determinar la responsabilidad de las
Administraciones Públicas por los daños y perjuicios causados a terceros durante la
ejecución de contratos cuando sean consecuencia de una orden inmediata y directa de la
Administración o de los vicios del proyecto elaborado por ella misma sin perjuicio de las
especialidades que, en su caso establezca el Real Decreto Legislativo 3/2011, de 14 de
noviembre, por el que se aprueba el texto refundido de la Ley de Contratos del Sector
Público.
ArtÃculo 33. Responsabilidad concurrente de las Administraciones Públicas.
1. Cuando de la gestión dimanante de fórmulas conjuntas de actuación entre varias
Administraciones públicas se derive responsabilidad en los términos previstos en la presente
Ley, las Administraciones intervinientes responderán frente al particular, en todo caso, de
forma solidaria. El instrumento jurÃdico regulador de la actuación conjunta podrá determinar
la distribución de la responsabilidad entre las diferentes Administraciones públicas.
2. En otros supuestos de concurrencia de varias Administraciones en la producción del
daño, la responsabilidad se fijará para cada Administración atendiendo a los criterios de
competencia, interés público tutelado e intensidad de la intervención. La responsabilidad
será solidaria cuando no sea posible dicha determinación.
3. En los casos previstos en el apartado primero, la Ap competente para
incoar, instruir y resolver los procedimientos en los que exista una responsabilidad
concurrente de varias APs, será la fijada en los Estatutos o reglas de
la organización colegiada. En su defecto, la competencia vendrá atribuida a la
AP con mayor participación en la financiación del servicio.
4. Cuando se trate de procedimientos en materia de responsabilidad patrimonial, la
Ap competente a la que se refiere el apartado anterior, deberá consultar
a las restantes Aps implicadas para que, en el plazo de quince dÃas, éstas
puedan exponer cuanto consideren procedente.
ArtÃculo 34. Indemnizacion
1. Son indemnizables las lesiones producidas al particular provenientes de daños
que éste no tenga el deber jurÃdico de soportar de acuerdo con la Ley. No serán
indemnizables los daños que se deriven de hechos o circunstancias que no se hubiesen
podido prever o evitar según el estado de los conocimientos de la ciencia o de la técnica
existentes en el momento de producción de aquéllos, todo ello sin perjuicio de las
prestaciones asistenciales o económicas que las leyes puedan establecer para estos casos.
En los casos de responsabilidad patrimonial a los que se refiere los apartados 4 y 5 del
artÃculo 32, serán indemnizables los daños producidos en el plazo de los cinco años
anteriores a la fecha de la publicación de la sentencia que declare la inconstitucionalidad de
la norma con rango de ley o el carácter de norma contraria al Derecho de la Unión Europea,
salvo que la sentencia disponga otra cosa.
2. La indemnización se calculará con arreglo a los criterios de valoración establecidos en
la legislación fiscal, de expropiación forzosa y demás normas aplicables, ponderándose, en
su caso, las valoraciones predominantes en el mercado. En los casos de muerte o lesiones
corporales se podrá tomar como referencia la valoración incluida en los baremos de la
normativa vigente en materia de Seguros obligatorios y de la Seguridad Social.
3. La cuantÃa de la indemnizacion se calculará con referencia al dÃa en que la lesión
efectivamente se produjo, sin perjuicio de su actualización a la fecha en que se ponga fin al
procedimiento de responsabilidad con arreglo al Ãndice de GarantÃa de la Competitividad,
fijado por el Instituto Nacional de EstadÃstica, y de los intereses que procedan por demora en
el pago de la indemnización fijada, los cuales se exigirán con arreglo a lo establecido en la
Ley 47/2003, de 26 de noviembre, General Presupuestaria, o, en su caso, a las normas
presupuestarias de las Comunidades Autónomas.
4. La indemnización procedente podrá sustituirse por una compensación en especie o
ser abonada mediante pagos periódicos, cuando resulte más adecuado para lograr la
reparación debida y convenga al interés público, siempre que exista acuerdo con el
interesado.
ArtÃculo 35. Responsabilidad de Derecho Privado
Cuando las Administraciones Públicas actúen, directamente o a través de una entidad de
derecho privado, en relaciones de esta naturaleza, su responsabilidad se exigirá de
conformidad con lo previsto en los artÃculos 32 y siguientes, incluso cuando concurra con
sujetos de derecho privado o la responsabilidad se exija directamente a la entidad de
derecho privado a través de la cual actúe la Administración o a la entidad que cubra su
responsabilidad.
Sección 2.ª Responsabilidad de las autoridades y personal al servicio de las APS
ArtÃculo 36. Exigencia de la responsabilidad patrimonial de las autoridades y personal al
servicio de las Administraciones Públicas.
1. Para hacer efectiva la responsabilidad patrimonial a que se refiere esta Ley, los
particulares exigirán directamente a la Administración Pública correspondiente las
indemnizaciones por los daños y perjuicios causados por las autoridades y personal a su
servicio.
2. La Administración correspondiente, cuando hubiere indemnizado a los lesionados,
exigirá de oficio en vÃa administrativa de sus autoridades y demás personal a su servicio la
responsabilidad en que hubieran incurrido por dolo, o culpa o negligencia graves, previa
instrucción del correspondiente procedimiento.
Para la exigencia de dicha responsabilidad y, en su caso, para su cuantificación, se
ponderarán, entre otros, los siguientes criterios: el resultado dañoso producido, el grado de
culpabilidad, la responsabilidad profesional del personal al servicio de las Administraciones
públicas y su relación con la producción del resultado dañoso.
3. Asimismo, la Administración instruirá igual procedimiento a las autoridades y demás
personal a su servicio por los daños y perjuicios causados en sus bienes o derechos cuando
hubiera concurrido dolo, o culpa o negligencia graves.
4. El procedimiento para la exigencia de la responsabilidad al que se refieren los
apartados 2 y 3, se sustanciará conforme a lo dispuesto en la Ley de Procedimiento
Administrativo Común de las Administraciones Públicas y se iniciará por acuerdo del órgano
competente que se notificará a los interesados y que constará, al menos, de los siguientes
trámites:
a) Alegaciones durante un plazo de quince dÃas.
b) Práctica de las pruebas admitidas y cualesquiera otras que el órgano competente
estime oportunas durante un plazo de quince dÃas.
c) Audiencia durante un plazo de diez dÃas.
d) Formulación de la propuesta de resolución en un plazo de cinco dÃas a contar desde la
finalización del trámite de audiencia.
e) Resolución por el órgano competente en el plazo de cinco dÃas.
5. La resolución declaratoria de responsabilidad pondrá fin a la vÃa administrativa.
6. Lo dispuesto en los apartados anteriores, se entenderá sin perjuicio de pasar, si
procede, el tanto de culpa a los Tribunales competentes.
ArtÃculo 37. Responsabilidad penal.
1. La responsabilidad penal del personal al servicio de las Administraciones Públicas, asÃ
como la responsabilidad civil derivada del delito se exigirá de acuerdo con lo previsto en la
legislación correspondiente.
2. La exigencia de responsabilidad penal del personal al servicio de las Administraciones
Públicas no suspenderá los procedimientos de reconocimiento de responsabilidad
patrimonial que se instruyan, salvo que la determinación de los hechos en el orden
jurisdiccional penal sea necesaria para la fijación de la responsabilidad patrimonial.
Vox se querella contra Pedro Sánchez y los miembros de la mesa de diálogo , JUNQUERAS, por conspiración para la rebelión y sedición
Vox ha presentado este viernes ante el Tribunal Supremo una querella contra el presidente del Gobierno, Pedro Sánchez, y todos los miembros de la denominada mesa de diálogo con Catalunya por presuntos delitos de conspiración para la rebelión, sedición, prevaricación y malversación de caudales públicos.
Además, el presidente de Vox, Santiago Abascal, ha anunciado tras registrar esta querella que tienen previsto presentar recursos ante el Tribunal Constitucional para “invalidar” la aprobación definitiva el jueves en el Senado de la reforma del Código Penal, que deroga el delito de sedición y rebaja las penas para la malversación.
Precisamente en la querella de este viernes, Vox solicita medidas cautelares urgentes para acordar la “inmediata suspensión de la entrada en vigor” de esta reforma legal.”Estamos convencidos y esperanzados de que cuando esta querella sea vista, esos delitos volverán a estar en el Código Penal”,
La querella presentada por Vox está dirigida contra Sánchez, así como contra el presidente de ERC, Oriol Junqueras, y Juan Carlos Campo “en su condición de ministro de Justicia en el momento en el que se dictaron los Reales decretos de concesión de indultos” a los condenados por el procés de Catalunya.
También contra todos los miembros de la denominada mesa de diálogo con Cataluña: los ministros Félix Bolaños, Yolanda Díaz, Isabel Rodríguez y Miquel Iceta, en representación del Gobierno español, y los consejeros Laura Vilagrà, Roger Torrent, Joan Ignasi Elena y Natàlia Garriga, por parte de la Generalitat.
Asimismo, Vox se querella contra los secretarios generales de los grupos parlamentarios del PSOE y de Unidas Podemos en el Congreso de Los Diputados: Isaura Leal y Txema Guijarro, respectivamente.
En su opinión, “no hay un solo español que se crea los argumentos de Sánchez para derogar el delito de sedición y rebajar el de malversación”
El tribunal held, señala en su auto que “no existe base alguna, mínimamente sólida, que permita considerar que los querellados conspiren para cometer un delito de rebelión”
“La querella constituye, en su conjunto, una impugnación o crítica completa a la línea política seguida por el Gobierno de España, con relación al proceso que fue enjuiciado en nuestra sentencia de 14 de octubre de 2019 y, por extensión, relativa al entendimiento que aquél defiende, –o que el querellante le atribuye defender–, en el marco de la organización territorial del Estado –señala el auto de inadmisión–. Crítica, plenamente legítima en el plano político, como legítima es también la posición contraria. Será en el ámbito político y, en último y soberano término en el propio de la contienda electoral, donde deberá ventilarse”, concluye la Sala.
Abascal ha dicho que siguen trabajando en la presentación de una moción de censura contra Sánchez, aunque sigue sin adelantar cuál será el candidato alternativo que presenten como presidente del Gobierno
Un juzgado toma declaración por una querella de 2020 contra Sanidad por la compra de material sanitario
El Gobierno se enfrenta a 45 querellas y denuncias en el Tribunal Supremo
El Supremo pedirá la próxima semana a la Fiscalía que informe de si procede investigar al Ejecutivo por la gestión de la covid-19
Vox, abogados de víctimas y una variopinta sucesión de particulares y colectivos profesionales han presentado en el Tribunal Supremo hasta el pasado viernes 45 querellas y denuncias contra el Gobierno por la covid-19.