Comparison
Read two legal systems against each other
Because every portal follows the same fifteen-section outline, the comparison is genuinely like-for-like rather than a collage of whatever each government happens to publish.
Select up to six documented jurisdictions
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| Attribute | MonacoReviewed | SpainReviewed | SwedenReviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal family | Civil law | Civil law | Civil law (Nordic) |
| System of government | Constitutional hereditary monarchy | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | Constitutional monarchy |
| Constitution | Constitution of the Principality of Monaco | Spanish Constitution | The four Fundamental Laws (Grundlagar) |
| In force since | 1962 | 1978 | 1974 |
| Capital | Monaco | Madrid | Stockholm |
| Official languages | French | Spanish | Swedish |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Euro (EUR) | Swedish krona (SEK) |
| Population | 39,000 | 48,400,000 | 10,600,000 |
| Division of powers | A unitary state of about two square kilometres with a single commune. Legislative power is exercised jointly by the Prince and the National Council; executive power belongs to the Prince, exercised through the Minister of State and the Government Council; judicial power is delegated by the Prince to the courts, with the Tribunal Suprême acting as both constitutional and supreme administrative court. | A constitutional monarchy with the King as head of state, an executive led by the President of the Government, a bicameral parliament and an independent judiciary, overlaid by extensive regional self-government. | Parliamentary government with a ceremonial monarch, strong independent public agencies that ministers may not instruct on individual cases, and separate general and administrative courts. |
| How law is made | A bill may be initiated by the Prince or proposed by the National Council. Government bills are laid before the Council, examined in committee and voted; adoption requires the agreement of both the Prince and the Council. The Prince then promulgates the law by sovereign ordinance and it is published in the Journal de Monaco. | Bills pass both chambers of the Cortes Generales, with the Congress of Deputies able to override the Senate, and receive royal assent. | Government bills are prepared through the distinctive committee-of-inquiry and referral (remiss) process, examined by Riksdag committees and the Council on Legislation, and adopted by the Riksdag. |
| Legal profession | A small bar of avocats-défenseurs, avocats and avocats stagiaires, organised as the Ordre des Avocats, with admission requiring Monegasque nationality preference, a law degree and a traineeship. French avocats may appear in specified circumstances. Notaries are appointed by sovereign ordinance and are few in number. | Abogados belong to local bar associations (colegios de abogados); procuradores represent parties procedurally and notaries authenticate deeds and company acts. | The title advokat is reserved for members of the Swedish Bar Association; representation in court is otherwise relatively open. |
A comparison table flattens nuance by design. Where a difference matters to a decision you are making, open both portals and read the section in full — the constitutional detail behind a one-line summary is often the part that governs the outcome.