An agreement is a decision made between two or more persons, associations or entities, as a result of a negotiation and deliberation process on a specific matter.
The word comes from the Latin accordare, formed in turn by the particle ad or ac, which means ‘assimilation’. The other Latin particle that makes up the term is cord, which means ‘heart’.
Therefore, an agreement will be the expression of two wills that determine a series of norms or actions to be respected and executed by the parties for mutual benefit.
The word “agreement” has as synonyms and related terms: pact, agreement, treaty, resolution and convention, among others. Antonym of agreement is disagreement.
Agreement in law
In law, an agreement can be concluded between two people, as well as between assemblies, boards or courts. The agreements are usually made in writing as a guarantee of compliance.
In the same way that these agreements exist at the social base level, there are also international agreements, usually known as international treaties.
Agreements legalized by law constitute legal obligations between the parties, under penalty of suffering penalties according to the terms set forth in the document.
There is a wide variety of agreements depending on the nature of the issues addressed, such as social, commercial, diplomatic, judicial and strategic-social agreements. There are also cooperation agreements, international framework and confidentiality.
Some examples of international agreements in force or in negotiation are the following:
- The Schengen Agreement, in force in the treaties of the European Union since 1995.
- Orthographic Agreement of the Portuguese Language, signed in 1990 between Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde and San Tomé and Príncipe.
- Mercosur (Southern Common Market), an agreement originally established between Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil. Today it has joined Bolivia and also has other countries as partners (in negotiation).
Gentlemen’s agreement
Also known as the gentlemen’s agreement, this type of agreement is informally established between two or more people to obtain mutual benefit. Its sole basis is the honorability of the parties in compliance with its terms.
