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Civil action characterizes our criminal proceedings in which it constitutes an exclusive institution. This article is aimed at fully understanding its relevance in order to adequately prepare us for a possible reform of its legal configuration. To that end, a review of its legal regulation and broad jurisprudential reference is not enough. This also requires a study of its links with the whole procedural model, otherwise we will not be faced with a more or less justified modification of a specific concept, but rather with a further step in what would in fact constitute a sea-change in our procedural system whose assessment must be at least weighed and balanced with two concrete aspects: the regime for exercising official criminal action and the growing scope of applying the principle of opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]