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47 Rev. Catalana Dret Pub. 1 (2013)

handle is hein.journals/revcatdp47 and id is 1 raw text is: 













EL   DECRETO-LEY EN TIEMPOS DE CRISIS
Ana  M.  Carmona   Contreras*


Resumen

Este  trabajo parte de la premisa que afirma la gendrica aptitud del decreto-ley para gestionar la actual coyuntura
de  crisis econ6mica  y financiera en la que  se halla inmerso nuestro pais  desde el afo  2008. Atendiendo  a  la
interpretaci6n flexible que el Tribunal Constitucional ha llevado a cabo  del presupuesto habilitante del decreto-
ley -oextraordinaria  y  urgente necesidad-,   el masivo  recurso a esta figura normativa durante las dos nltimas
legislaturas resultaria constitucionalmente justificado. Tal constataci6n inicial, sin embargo,  experimenta  una
sustancial modificaci6n cuando se analiza la cuesti6n desde la perspectiva de la funci6n de control sobre los decretos-
leyes que  la Constituci6n atribuye a las asambleas legislativas. El deficit democritico que presentan los decretos-
leyes en clave procedimental, como   normas unilateralmente aprobadas  por el Gobierno, justifica su inicial caracter
provisional. Despojarse  de tal precariedad existencial pasa necesariamente por obtener un posterior aval en sede
parlamentaria. El principio pluralista que es consustancial a dicha institucion recupera su espacio de actuaci6n y opera
en un  doble sentido: dota a los decretos-leyes de plena legitimidad democritica y, asimismo, brinda a las minorias la
oportunidad  de ejercer su natural funci6n de control y critica frente a la mayoria. En funci6n de tal planteamiento,
la insatisfactoria regulacion que la convalidaci6n presenta en el Reglamento del Congreso de los Diputados, que la
convierte en via necesaria de intervenci6n y, asimismo, la reduce a un mero trimite formal, actua como fundamental
obsticulo, lastrando la consideraci6n  plenamente  democritica  del decreto-ley en nuestro ordenamiento  juridico.
Palabras clave: urgente necesidad; gobierno; pluralismo; minorias; control politico.



THE   DECREE-LAW IN TIMES OF CRISIS

Abstract

The  general suitability of decree-laws to deal with the current economic and financial crisis in which our country
has  been immersed  since 2008  is the initial premise of this paper. Taking into account the Constitutional Court's
flexible interpretation of the prerequisite justifying the resort to decree-laws, extraordinary and urgent need, it
would  seem  that the massive use of this regulatory vehicle during the last two legislative sessions is, in principle,
constitutionally justifed. This initial finding is substantially modifed when one applies the perspective of oversight
over  decree-laws that corresponds to the Parliament. The democratic  deficit that the decree-laws represent from a
procedural  perspective, as regulations passed unilaterally by the government, justifes their provisional character
Ridding  the  laws of such  precariousness  entails, perforce, a subsequent endorsement  by  the Parliament.  The
activation of the pluralist principle in the legislature operates in two ways: 1) it endows the decree-laws with full
democratic  legitimacy, and 2) it offers minorities the opportunity to exercise their natural function of oversight and
criticism with respect the majority. In view of such an approach,  the unsatisfactory regulation of the ratifcation
procedure  in the current set of regulations for Spain's Congress of Deputies, which reduces it to a mere formality,
acts  as a  fundamental  obstacle  to having  decree-laws  in our  legal system  be considered  fully democratic.

Key  words: urgent need; government; pluralisme; minorities; political oversight.

* Ana  Ma Carmona  Contreras, profesora titular (acreditada a citedra) de derecho constitucional de la Universidad de Sevilla, c/
Enramadilla 18-20 (Campus Ram6ny  Cajal), 41018 Sevilla, anacarmona(usmes.
Articulo recibido el 18.10.2013. Evaluaci6n ciega: 4.11.2013 y 7.11.2013. Fecha de aceptaci6n de la versi6n final: 19.11.2013.
Citaci6n recomendada: CARMONA  CONTRERAS, Ana M. (El decreto-ley en tiempos de crisis». Revista catalana de dretpublic, num.
47 (2013), pp. 1-20. DOI: 10.2436/20.8030.01.9


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