The Services Directives are derived from Act 48/2003 on the improvement and efficiency of processes and as referential elements for state-promoted rebates on port tariffs linked to increasing the quality of services being provided. Royal Legislative Decree 2/2011 made advances in this area, changing and extending the regulations while maintaining the same focus.

The Service Directive establishes the level of service a customer can expect (quality characteristics of the service) and the aspects that must be checked so as to ensure compliance with said characteristics. Certification aims to ensure the quality of services provided based on the characteristics of the service established specifically for each of the services, meaning that the certifying body checks whether the services conform to the characteristics established in the Service Directive before issuing the certification or corresponding mark.