The Court of Auditors will audit the Royal House

The Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, explained today that the Court of Auditors will audit the accounts of the Royal House, which must publish the budget execution on its website every three months. In addition, all hiring must be published and the institution’s senior officials must also make their declaration of assets public. Some of them must be public officials such as the Comptroller General or the Diplomatic Counselor.

These obligations are part of the Royal Decree approved today by the Government in order to provide transparency and modernize the Spanish Royal House, which now, according to the minister, is homologated to the highest standards of European royal houses.

According to Bolaños, the Royal Decree that has been approved today is the result of months of work between the Executive and the Royal House and that has “intensified” in recent weeks. This measure has been accompanied by another fact yesterday with the publication of his assets by King Felipe VI.

Contracting is regulated with the principle of advertising

According to Bolaños, the Royal Decree has three blocks: the first, on transparency; the second, efficiency in public service and the third, exemplary character.

To comply with transparency, the text approves a new regulation of the contracting and the procedures of the Royal House in it. Thus, the principle of publicity is introduced in all contracts, respecting the budgetary autonomy of Casa Real but also all the principles that govern public contracting in Spain. These new hiring instructions must be published on the Casa Real website.

In the second block, that of transparency, the obligation is contemplated that the accounts of Casa Real will be audited by the Court of Accounts. For this, a collaboration agreement will be signed with the Court and an external audit will be carried out to verify that the accounts and the true image of the assets and the financial situation.

In addition, it is established that the information of the accounts will be published periodically on the web, both the budgets and the quarterly execution of the same, as well as all the contracts signed, the remunerations, the institutional gifts and the annual report of activities of home.

Collaboration agreement with the State Attorney

The Minister of the Presidency explained that one of the first measures for coordination between the Administrations and the Casa del Rey will be the signing of collaboration agreements with the State Attorney General’s Office in order to have legal advice and also the possibility of making agreements collaboration with different administrative bodies. Some are already in force, such as the one carried out with the Secretary of State for Commerce.

In addition, some services will be linked to the civil service. In this sense, the direction of the Casa Real intervention office will be exercised by an official from the Corps of State Auditors and the diplomatic adviser will also be a member of the Diplomatic career. That is to say, “it is committed to the public function,” Bolaños added.

Legal status is also given to the healthcare provided to the Royal House by the Royal Guard by agreement with the Ministry of Defense and is now incorporated into the legal system through this Royal Decree.

The senior officials of the Royal House must also publish their assets

Finally, in the exemplary block, it is foreseen that the members of the Royal House must carry out their functions in accordance with the code of conduct of the House of the King. In other words, they must safeguard the general interests and be based on the principles of objectivity, neutrality, impartiality, confidentiality, austerity, honesty and protection of the environment and equality between men and women.

Also the senior officials of the House of the King must publish their declaration of assets both in the appointment and in the cessation, like the rest of the senior officials of the General Administration of the State.

As for the gifts, these will be inventoried and guarded in order to study whether they remain in the House or go to National Heritage or are donated to non-profit entities.

Félix Bolaños has expressed the satisfaction of the Government for this approval of this rule and for the Monarchy’s commitment to accountability and for what they consider a “progress” so that the Royal House is one of the European Royal Houses.

According to the minister, the royal decree consolidates into a legal norm and gives legal status to many practices that were already being carried out, in addition to introducing other new initiatives. In addition, the House is coordinated with the State Administration and responds to the request of citizens to exercise exemplary and transparency in all institutions and also in the Head of State.