Barcelona Chamber of Commerce
The Barcelona Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation is a centennial institution founded in 1886, with its historical roots in the Consolat de Mar, which dates back directly to the Middle Ages, and the Royal Council for Commerce. The corporation works all year round to assist Catalan businesses to open up a niche in the market. On the one hand, it provides services that can be used by businesses in a customised form and, on the other, carries out actions of general interest favouring the promotion of the country’s business and economic activity, which also benefits each individual business indirectly.
The Chamber is a corporation governed by public law. The basic law for official chambers of commerce, industry and navigation (Law 3/1993, of 22nd March) establishes their nature, governs their functions and specifies who their members are. Under article 6, all businesses and professionals carrying out activities within the Chamber’s geographical sphere make up the membership of the corporation. Moreover, in the world of chambers of commerce, the Barcelona Chamber follows the continental model rather than the Anglo-Saxon one where affiliation is voluntary.
The corporation is representative, as its electoral base is made up of all the businesses, democratic, because all members of its governing bodies are elected democratically, and independent, both of public administrations and of specific sector interests.