Spanish Constitution

The current Spanish constitution was adopted in a referendum on December 6, 1978 and is the highest legal norm of the Spanish state. According to the Constitution, Spain is a legal social democratic state, the political form of which is the parliamentary monarchy, and the bearer of national sovereignty is the Spanish people. According to the Constitution, freedom, justice, equality and political pluralism are recognized as the highest values, and the guarantor of the Constitution is the Constitutional Court. The Spanish Constitution regulates the activities of state bodies and various structures of the autonomous communities. Any legal provision that is part of Spanish law must be consistent with the Constitution. This requirement is monitored by the courts of general jurisdiction and the Spanish Constitutional Court.

Spain has the following hierarchy of legislative documents:

Spanish Constitution
European Union and International Law
General law: organic law, ordinary law, and statutory laws that have legal force.
The standard originating from the executive branch of the relevant state body.
The most important Spanish substantive laws include: the Spanish Constitution of 1978, the statutes of the autonomous communities, the European Union treaty, the Spanish Penal Code, the Spanish Civil Code and the Spanish Commercial Code.