The General State Administration (Spanish: Administración General del Estado) is one of the Public Administrations of Spain. It is the only administration with powers throughout the national territory and it is controlled by the central government.
The General State Administration (Spanish: Administración General del Estado) is one of the Public Administrations of Spain. It is the only administration with powers throughout the national territory and it is controlled by the central government.
The government of Spain (Spanish: Gobierno de España) is the central government which leads the executive branch and the General State Administration of the Kingdom of Spain.
The Government consists of the Prime Minister and the Ministers; the prime minister has the overall direction of the Ministers and can appoint or terminate their appointments freely. The ministers also belong to the supreme decision-making body, known as the Council of Ministers. The Government is responsible before the Parliament (Cortes Generales), and more precisely before the Congress of the Deputies, a body which elects the Prime Minister or dismisses them through a motion of censure. This is because Spain is a parliamentary system established by the Constitution of 1978.
The Spanish government departments, commonly known as Ministries, are the main bodies through which the Government of Spain exercise its executive authority. They are also the top level of the General State Administration. The ministerial departments and their organization are created by Royal Decree signed by the Monarch and the Prime Minister and all of them are headed by a Cabinet member called Minister.
Although the main organization is established by the Premier, the ministers have autonomy to organize its own department and to appoint the high-ranking officials of the ministries. It exists the possibility of ministers without portfolio, which are minister-level officials entrusted with a specific task and that do not head a department.
The National Statistics Institute (Spanish: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, INE) is the official government agency in Spain that collects statistics about demography, the economy, and Spanish society. It is an autonomous organization responsible for overall coordination of statistical services of the General State Administration in monitoring, control and supervision of technical procedures. Every 10 years, the institute conducts a national census.
The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for developing and implementing the government policy on scientific research, technological development and innovation in all sectors. In particular, MICIU is responsible for research, technological development and innovation competencies in space matters, including representation and participation in European Union and International organizations. It is also responsible for the university policy.
Unlike other government areas such as education or health, in Spain the General State Administration and the regions share the responsibilities in the promotion of scientific and technical research, with the State being responsible for general coordination in this area. In this regard, the Constitutional Court has reiterated its doctrine in relation to State coordination, denying that it can reach such a degree of specificity and development that it leaves the powers of the Spanish regions empty of content, and a balance of powers must be guaranteed. This coordination is carried out through the Scientific, Technological and Innovation Policy Council (CPCTI).