A minute is a document that allows you to certify what was discussed in a meeting or assembly.
Acta is a concept that comes from the Latin language and can be used with reference to different types of documents . The first meaning mentioned by the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to the written record of what was discussed or approved in an assembly , a meeting or another type of meeting.
For example: “I need to find the minutes of the last shareholders meeting: I want to know if the agreement with the Chinese government was approved by everyone or not” , “The club's board of directors stated in the minutes of the meeting that the institution has not yet received the subsidy promised by the authorities” , “Before you leave, gentlemen owners, please do not forget to sign the minutes” .
Usefulness of a record
An act, in this sense, allows certifying and validating what was discussed . This is a formal resource, which is used in meetings called through legal mechanisms.
Typically, these documents are kept in a minute book. In this way, the minute book of a club, to cite one case, is made up of the minutes of the different member meetings.
The minutes are constituted as a formal resource.
Data to include
There are numerous official meetings that require minutes to be taken, such as the municipal plenary session in a town hall or a faculty faculty. In all cases, it must be taken into account that said document is prepared by the secretary and that it must contain a series of relevant data:
- The day, place and date on which the act in question takes place.
- The list of the names and surnames of the people attending the appointment.
- The time at which the meeting starts.
- It is also essential that the interventions of all participating members be collected.
- Of course, no less important is that the minutes will have to record all the decisions and agreements that have been made. In this sense, it is relevant to emphasize that it must be perfectly recorded how the vote took place, what each person voted for and, of course, with the majority that the agreement in question was reached.
- The proposals that are also raised at the meeting must also be recorded, as well as any type of incident that may occur during the meeting.
- Finally, the time at which the meeting concluded must be established and it must also carry the relevant signatures.
- Once the minutes are drawn up, essentially in the case of city council plenary sessions, a copy will be delivered to the representatives of the political parties so that they can approve it or request changes.
An official certificate
The record is also the official certificate of certain events or events: “They have not yet given me the death certificate,” “According to the birth certificate found by researchers, the writer was born on March 4, 1876 in Caracas,” “ To apply for the credit, I must present my identity document, marriage certificate and last pay slip.”
Certain treaties and agreements can be called acts, such as the Single European Act (which marked the birth of the European Union ) and the Act of Union between Denmark and Iceland (signed in 1918 ).