How Chambers of Commerce work in Spain

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. Chambers are public law corporations that represent and defend the general interests of commerce, industry, services and shipping, and provide services to companies.
2. All companies engaged in commercial, industrial, service or shipping activities are automatically assigned to their Chamber, with no economic obligation or administrative burden. Primary farming, livestock and fishing activities, individual insurance brokers and the liberal professions are excluded.
3. Chambers are funded mainly through income from their services and voluntary contributions from companies, not mandatory fees. Selling real estate requires approval from the supervising administration.
4. Governing bodies are the plenary, the executive committee and the president. At least two thirds of plenary members are elected by free, equal, direct and secret suffrage among all companies, every four years.
5. The Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Spain is created. It represents all Chambers before state and international bodies and runs the Cameral Plan for Internationalization and the Cameral Competitiveness Plan.
6. Chambers are under the supervision (tutela) of the General State Administration or the Autonomous Communities: their budgets are approved, their accounts audited, and their governing bodies can be suspended or dissolved if they break the law.

Who it affects

• Commercial, industrial, service and shipping companies: They are automatically assigned to their Chamber with no mandatory payment, and can vote and run in Chamber elections.
• The Chambers of Commerce themselves: They must adapt their organization, funding and bylaws to the new model, under public supervision of their accounts and activities.
• Autonomous Communities: They act as supervising administrations and must adapt their rules to this law by January 31, 2015.
• Chamber employees: All staff, including those under the old 1936 regime, now fall under current labor law.

Words worth knowing

Corporación de derecho público (public law corporation)

An official body created by law that represents a group and exercises public functions, even if it also has private activity.

Administración tutelante (supervising administration)

The public authority (State or Autonomous Community) that oversees, approves and controls what each Chamber does.

Pleno (plenary)

The top governing and representative body of the Chamber, made up of elected members.

Recurso cameral (cameral levy)

An old mandatory payment companies made to Chambers; the permanent levy is abolished, though accrued, non-expired dues remain payable.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries