Statute

Statute

Art.1 – Constitution and Headquarters

  1. The Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Handcraft and Agriculture of the Veneto Region constitute by public act a non-profit association, in accordance with art. 6 of Law 580/93 and subsequent amendments, with articles 14 and following of the Civil Code and Presidential Decree n.361/2000, called: Regional Union of the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Handcraft and Agriculture of Veneto (Unioncamere del Veneto). Unioncamere del Veneto has its headquarters in Venice and can establish field offices even in common with other Regional Unions, in Italy and abroad.
  2. Unioncamere del Veneto, together with the other regional Unions of the Chambers of Commerce, Unioncamere Italiana, the Italian Chambers of Commerce and their operating bodies, constitute the Italian Chamber system. Italian Chambers of Commerce abroad and foreign Chambers of Commerce in Italy legally recognized by the State are also part of the Italian Chamber system.

Art.2 – Competences and functions

  1. In harmony with the institutional aims of the Chambers of Commerce and respecting their autonomy, the Regional Union curates and represents the interests and pursues the common objectives of the Chamber system in regional context, promotes the associated exercise of functions, services and chamber competences and ensures the coordination of the relations with the Veneto Region and the representatives of the Venetian Institutions and Local Authorities for the discussion and the definition of subjects and initiatives of common interest. The action of the Union is focused on activities and projects that directly benefit the member Chambers of Commerce. In particular:

a) Carries out, within the chamber system, functions of support and promotion of the general interests of the economic system and promotes initiatives to encourage the growth of the regional economy, its internationalization, and the competitiveness of the business system.

b) carries out the tasks of observing and monitoring the regional economy, of simplification in the relations between businesses and Public Administrations and carries out studies and research.

c) Carries out coordination activities in favor of the member Chambers of Commerce, promotes common policies of the regional chamber system and identifies the strategies, also on a multi-year basis, and the lines for the development of the common objectives of the Chambers of Commerce of the Veneto Region and for the qualification of the chamber activities of common interest.

d) Promotes the elaboration of regional law proposals and seeks coordination with Italian Unioncamere for the provision of national law proposals, in the interest of the regional economic system.e)

e) Promotes, coordinates, and realizes the exercise, in associated form, of activities and services of chamber competence, according to art.2 of Law 580/93 and subsequent amendments, in order to ensure a more effective management and to pursue economies of scale.  

f) Promotes and coordinates, also in collaboration with Italian Unioncamere, the use of EU programs and funds by the Veneto chamber network, acting as a representative and owner of the interventions and seeking collaboration with organizations representing business, professionals, workers, consumers, and users.

g) Carries out activities of information, training, orientation, research and technological development, publishing, promotion, and management of common services. These activities are addressed to the Chambers of Commerce and other public and private institutions and subjects

h)May carry out all real estate, securities, and financial operations necessary for the achievement of the social purposes

i) it is the addressee of the attribution of functions by the European Union, the State, and, based on appropriate conventions or memoranda of understanding, of specific activities by the Veneto Region.

j) Promotes consultation tables to develop general tools for governing economy that affect regional economic sectors

2. To achieve these aims, the Regional Union proposes and participates, on the basis of the regulations in force, in program agreements, stipulates memoranda of understanding and conventions, promotes the constitution of and participates in Institutions, organizations, consortia and companies that operate within the institutional aims of the Chamber of Commerce or, more generally, propose objectives and implement initiatives of economic and social development.

Art.3 – Relations with the Veneto Region, the Local Institutions, and the other Autonomous entities

  1. In order to have a more effective intervention capacity to support the promotion and the growth of the economic system of Veneto, the Regional Union promotes specific instruments of consultation and collaboration with the Veneto Region to identifies lines of action and coordination of reciprocal initiatives and to define its own participation in the process of regional planning and its implementation.
  2. The relations of collaboration with the Veneto Region are defined through framework agreements, protocols of understanding and conventions stipulated by the Regional Union in representation of the member Chambers of Commerce and may also provide for the attribution of functions and delegations exercisable directly or through specific instruments.
  3. According to the provisions of art.2 paragraph 6 and art.6 paragraph 5 of Law 580/93 and subsequent amendments, the Regional Union can formulate opinions and proposals to the State Administrations, to the Veneto Region and to the Local Authorities of Veneto on issues of interest to the regional business system.
  4. The Regional Union promotes appropriate measures to define, in agreement with the Veneto Region, the suitable tools of report and coordination of the competences of the regional chamber system with those of the Regional Associations, Provincial Administrations and Municipalities, in order to make more effective the collaborations with the Region and to promote the competitiveness of the enterprises and the development of the regional economy and territory, enhancing their local dimension.
  5. The Regional Union promotes collaborations with other public or private Autonomous entities, also through the predisposition of specific agreements or of other tools that foster the pursuit of the objectives and the exercise of the competences assigned by the state and regional regulations.

Art.4 – The Bodies

  1. The Bodies of the Regional Union are:
  2. The Board
  3. The Council
  4. The President
  5. The Board of Auditors
  6. The President and the Board of Auditors hold office for three fiscal years. The members of the bodies who, during their term of office, are no longer entitled to participate in the body, expire on that date and are no longer in charge. In case of termination of office due to lapse or resignation, the members who replace them remain in office until the natural expiry date of the office of the replaced member.
  7. All members of the bodies are eligible for re-election.

Art.5 – The Board

  1. The Board, guiding body of the Regional Union, is composed of the Presidents of the Chambers of Commerce of the Veneto Region and of 3 Councilors for each member Chamber of Commerce, appointed by order of the Council chosen within the Council of each member Chamber of Commerce.
  2. In the event a member is unable to attend, another Union Councilor designated by the same Chamber, and with the signature of the President of the Chamber, may be delegated.

Art.6 – The Board’s responsibilities

The Board:

  1. Defines the general guidelines of the Regional Union.
  2. Appoints, upon proposal of the Council and with the majority imposed by art.11, the President of the Regional Union, choosing him among the Presidents of the member Chambers of Commerce
  3. Approves the common three-year strategic lines for the development of the regional Chamber system and, normally by December 31 of each year, the general guidelines and  the economic budget for the following year, determining the dimension of the contribution of the associated Chambers of Commerce; furthermore, normally by 30 April of each year, it approves the balance sheet of the previous year, accompanied by a report of the Council on the activity carried out and the report of the Board of Auditors
  4. Approves the measures of variation to the budget which involve variations in the overall items of income and expenditure and ratifies those taken, as a matter of urgency, by the Council.
  5. Appoints the Board of Auditors and its President
  6. Deliberates the Statute and its modifications, with the majority imposed by art. 18
  7. Determinates the amount of the allowances and reimbursements of expenses incurred in carrying out the office by the President of the Regional Union and by the members of the Bodies, in compliance with the provisions in force.

Art.7 – How the Board operates

  1. The Council is convened, in first and second call, by the President of the Regional Union at least 15 days before the date set for the meeting, by certified e-mail. The Council is convened in the same way when a justifies request is made by one or more member Chambers of Commerce.
  2. The letter of convocation shall indicate the items on the agenda; any additions are possible provided that they are communicated by certified e-mail at least 3 days before the meeting.
  3. The meetings of the Boards in first call are valid when at least half plus one of the members are present and at least half, rounded up to the higher unit, of the member Chambers of Commerce are represented; in second call, to be carried out after at least 24 hours, when at least one third of the members representing at least half, rounded up to the higher unit, of the member Chambers of Commerce are present.
  4. Resolutions of the Boards shall be passed by a majority vote of those present, except as provided for in Article 19; in case of a tie, the vote of the President shall prevail.
  5. The Board may also conduct its activities using video/teleconference systems.

Art.8 – The Council

  1. The Council is made up of the Presidents of the member Chambers of Commerce
  2. The Presidents of the member Chambers of Commerce can delegate a member of their Chamber Council to replace them in case of impediment.
  3. The General Secretaries of the member Chambers of Commerce take part in the meetings of the Council.

Art.9 – The Council’s responsibilities

  1. It is up to the Council:
    1. Appoint the Regional Union’s Deputy Vice President, choosing him/her among its members
    2. Prepare the annual budget, with the relative program of activities, their updates, the balance sheet, to be submitted to the approval of the Board
    3. Prepare the common three-year guidelines for the development of the regional chamber system, to be submitted to the approval of the Board
    4. Adopt the necessary measures for the implementation of the program of activities of the Regional Union
    5. Appoint, upon proposal of the President of the Regional Union, the General Secretary, choosing him/her among the General Secretaries of the member Chambers of Commerce other than the Chamber of origin of the President himself/herself
    6. Appoint the representatives of the Regional union in the participated institutions and in all the bodies where the representation of the Regional Union is required
    7. Establish Study Commissions, Working Groups and Committees
    8. Adopt the regulations for the division of tasks between policy and management, for personnel, for accounting and all other regulations related to the life of the Regional Union;
    9. Entrust, also in implementation of the previous point h), to the General Secretaries of the Chambers of Commerce of Veneto or to experts, the predisposition and/or the realization of specific projects of interest for the Veneto system, establishing the operative modalities, including the relevant fees;
    10. determine the staffing and organizational structure of the Chamber;
    11. deliberate on conventions and on the participations of the Regional Union, as well as on program agreements, within the limits of the available budget;
    12. deliberate, as a matter of urgency, the measures to modify the annual budget, to be submitted to the ratification of the Board in the first useful meeting;
  2. The Council deliberates, also, on what is not expressly attributed to the competence of other bodies within the statutory purposes.
  3. The Council may delegate part of its powers, other than those described in paragraph 1, and/or entrust tasks relating thereto to one or more of its members, determining the addresses and duration of the delegation and of the tasks themselves.

Art.10 – How the Council operates

  1. The Council is convened by the President of the Regional Union, who prepares the agenda, at least 8 days before the date set for the meeting by certified e-mail. In case of particular urgency, this term is reduced to 48 hours.
  2. The notice of convocation shall indicate the items on the agenda.
  3. For the validity of the sessions, the presence of the majority of the components is necessary.
  4. The Council shall deliberate by majority vote of those present; in the event of a tie the President’s vote shall prevail.
  5. The Council may also carry out its activities using video/teleconference systems.

Art.11 – The President and the Deputy Vice President

  1. The President of the Regional Union is the legal representative of the Institution and has the political and institutional representation of the Regional Union and of the regional chamber system, towards the Chambers of Commerce, the public Institutions, the national, regional and local government bodies, the economic categories. He is appointed by the Board upon proposal of the Council, he remains in office for three years and expires on the date of the Board meeting convened for the approval of the budget for the last year of his office, unless he ceases to be President of the Chamber of Commerce he belongs to, in which case he automatically ceases to be President of the Regional Union.
  2. When it is called to elect the President, the Board is validly constituted with the presence of at least two thirds of the members. The President is elected in the first vote with the absolute majority of the members. In the second vote, to be held in the following session, the candidate who has obtained the highest number of votes is appointed.
  3. Convokes and presides over the Board and the Council.
  4. It coordinates the presence of the Union in the bodies in which it participates, as well as the intervention of the same in committees, hearings, consultations and in any other initiative useful to promote the statutory purposes.
  5. In case of urgency the President exercises the competences of the Council, subject to ratification by the same in the first useful session.
  6. The Deputy Vice President remains in office for three years and expires on the date of the Council meeting called to approve the budget for the last year of the President’s office, unless he/she ceases to be President of the Chamber of Commerce to which he/she belongs, in which case he/she automatically loses office in the Regional Union. The Deputy Vice President replaces the President in case of death, resignation, forfeiture, impediment or absence of the same.
  7. In case of death, resignation or forfeiture of the President, the Vice President shall convene within three months the statutory bodies for the appointment of a new President.

Art.12 – The Committee of General Secretaries

  1. The Committee of the General Secretaries is the technical advisory body of the Regional Union, it collaborates with the Bodies of the same in the fulfilment of the functions of direction and in the implementation of the competences and functions mentioned in art. 2. In particular, it contributes to the coordination activity in favor of the associated Chambers of Commerce through the exchange of experiences, the definition of programs, projects and initiatives of common interest, as well as delegating its members to coordinate the Study Commissions, the Working Groups and the Committees as per art. 9 paragraph 1 letter g).
  2. The Committee of the General Secretaries expresses, upon request of the Council or the Board, opinions and proposals concerning the activity of the Regional Union.
  3. The Committee is made up of the General Secretaries of the associated Chambers of Commerce and is convened by the General Secretary of the Regional Union, who presides over it.
  4. To the Committee of the General Secretaries, from time to time, experts and consultants can be invited to participate in relation to the topics to be dealt with.
  5. The General Secretary of the Regional Union attaches the opinion of the Committee, if requested, to the proposed resolutions on the agenda of the Council and the Board.

Art.13 – The General Secretary

  1. The General Secretary directs the offices of the Union, determines, on the basis of what has been decided by the Council, the organizational structure, manages and coordinates the activities within a spending autonomy decided by the Council itself, is responsible for administrative procedures, verifies the legitimacy of the resolutions and acts submitted for approval by the bodies.
  2. It is the head of personnel, in relation to which it takes the necessary decisions. On the basis of the deliberations of the Council, it adopts the measures concerning recruitment, remuneration, career and termination of employment of staff and assigns performance and productivity bonuses to staff, within the framework of the appropriations provided by the annual budget and the deliberations of the Council. It adopts, by means of its own decisions, all the measures necessary for the achievement of the established objectives and the implementation of the program.
  3. Performs the functions of Secretary of the Board and the Council.
  4. Convokes and presides over the Committee of General Secretaries.
  5. By means of a special agreement between the Chamber of belonging and the Regional Union, the type of work performed by the Secretary General and the reimbursement of expenses for the exercise of the office shall be regulated;
  6. The Vice General Secretary, appointed by the Council on the proposal of the Secretary General, assumes vicarious functions with respect to the powers and duties assigned to the Secretary General.

Art.14 – Division of political and administrative responsibilities

  1. The governing bodies are responsible for planning, direction and control of results; the General Secretary and the management of the Regional Union are responsible for the operational, administrative, technical and financial management, including the adoption of all acts and measures that commit the Institution externally, through autonomous powers of expenditure, organization of human resources, equipment and control.
  2. The General Secretary and the managers are exclusively responsible for the activity put in place, the management and its results in relation with the objectives entrusted to them.

Art.15 – The Board of Auditors

  1. The Board of Auditors is appointed by the Board, remains in office for three financial years and expires on the date of the Board meeting called to approve the financial statements for the last financial year of its office. It oversees the observance of the regulations in force and of the present Statute, ascertains the regular bookkeeping, reports annually to the Board on the annual budget, on the balance sheet and on the management results.
  2. The Board is made up of three acting members and three alternate members, designated, respectively, by the Veneto Region, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, acting as chairman, and the Ministry of Economic Development. The regular and alternate members must be enrolled in the Register of Auditors, unless they are managers or public officials.
  3. The Board may also carry out its activities using video/teleconference systems.

Art.16 – The staff

  1. The Regional Union avails itself for its operation of special staff to be hired, after suitable selection and in compliance with the regulations in force, within the limits of a numerical quota fixed by the Council in relation to the needs of the Body, depending on the levels, with the national collective contract for the tertiary sector, or with the national collective contract for managers of the tertiary sector, or, if defined, by another contract adopted in the national bargaining.
  2. The staffing, as referred to in Article 9, point j), of this Statute, must be compatible with the financial availability of the Regional Union.
  3. The staff of the Regional Union can carry out its activity, provided it is connected to specific functions related to the competences of the Regional Union, also at the headquarters of the associated Chambers of Commerce or at the field offices of the Regional Union located in the region or abroad.
  4. For the purpose of a more effective coordination and functioning of the chamber services, committees or working groups made up of chamber personnel can be established at the Regional Union, according to the modalities determined by the Council or by the Committee of the General Secretaries.

Art.17 – Financing

  1. The ordinary financing of the Regional Union is ensured:
  2. by a rate of the revenues for contributions, state transfers, taxes, annual fees and secretarial fees resulting from the latest annual budget approved by the bodies of the Chambers of the region, pursuant to Article 7 paragraph 7 of Law 580/93 and subsequent amendments;
  3. from revenues and contributions for activities carried out on behalf of the Region and other public and private entities;
  4. from funding for programs and projects coming from the European Union, the Region or other public or private entities;
  5. from projects financed by the equalization fund established at the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce, which also pursue the specific purposes set forth in Article 18, paragraph 9 of Law 580/93 and subsequent amendments;
  6. from extraordinary financing and contributions, borne by the individual Chambers of Commerce, destined for specific projects, activities and services of common interest, even if not proportional to the revenue referred to in letter a);
  7. from any other income derived from the activity carried out.
  8. The fiscal year corresponds to the calendar year.
  9. It is expressly forbidden to distribute profits or surpluses among the member Chambers.

Art.18 – Procedures for approving amendments to the Articles of the Statute

  1. Amendments to the Statute shall be approved by a 2/3 vote of the members of the Board.

Art.19 – Dissolution

  1. The dissolution is deliberated by the Board in accordance with the regulations in force at the time and in any case with the favorable vote of at least three quarters of the members. The assets resulting from the liquidation will be divided among the associated Chambers of Commerce in proportion to the fees paid in the last three years, for the pursuit of compatible and similar purposes.

Art.20 – Transitional and final rules

  1. The non-elective bodies currently in office shall remain in office until the end of their term, as governed at the time of their appointment.
  2. For all that is not expressly provided for in the Statute, the norms of the Civil Code regarding recognized associations shall apply.
  3. Modifications to the Statute shall apply as from the publication in the BURV of the measure of their approval by the competent regional bodies.

Last modified: 2 September 2021