Bill would make EU criminal convictions count equally in Spain

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would give criminal convictions issued in other European Union member states the same effects in Spain as convictions issued there, both to the disadvantage and to the benefit of the convicted person.
2. It would remove the current rule that excludes EU convictions issued before August 15, 2015, a cutoff the authors consider contrary to the European rule.
3. It rewrites Article 14 so that prior convictions from other member states have the same effects as Spanish ones before the trial, during the trial and when serving the sentence, provided they are final and there is enough information.
4. It deletes the sole additional provision, and the law would enter into force the day after its publication in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (official state gazette).

Who it affects

• People convicted in another European Union country: Their convictions could have the same effects in Spain as Spanish ones, including to lower the maximum time to serve.
• Spanish judges and courts: They would have to take prior EU convictions into account when judging and when enforcing sentences, if they have enough information.
• People serving prison sentences in Spain: Time actually served in another member state could be counted, shortening the maximum time to serve.

Words worth knowing

Decisión Marco

A European Union rule setting goals that member states must apply in their domestic law.

Principio de equivalencia

The idea that a conviction issued in another EU country counts the same as one issued in Spain.

Refundición de condenas

Procedure to combine several prison sentences and set a maximum time to serve.

Sentencia firme

A conviction that can no longer be appealed or changed.

Proposición de Ley Orgánica

A bill introduced in the Congress of Deputies to change an organic law, not yet passed.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries