By taking up the role they were attributed by Law 580/93, the Chambers of Commerce fulfil the inspection tasks that were previously entrusted to the UPICA office. They can be considered consumer protection activities, as they aim at checking that goods are manufactured in compliance with the regulations in force.
The aforesaid inspection activity is carried out in the following fields: control over public warehouses and registers of paper-making, chemical, pharmaceutical and textile industries; checks on the use of flours, starches and sugars of food industries; textile products names and labelling; check on imported or manufactured toys, electric materials, bread-making and milling.

Furthermore, the Chamber of Commerce can also inflict penalties for the infringement of commercial and industrial regulations.

The activities carried out by the Chambers offices can be divided into inspection services and penalties.



Inspection services

In this area, the Chambers of Commerce carry out the following activities: inspection and surveillance activities, control activities aiming at paying out subsidies to enterprises, and water tariff control activities.

Inspection and surveillance activities aim at assessing that goods are manufactured in compliance with the regulations in force, and in suitable production and marketing premises.
The Chambers relevant Office starts its activity after the submission of a petition, considered as well grounded, by a party concerned or upon the request of the Ministry of Productive Activities. Regulations apply to the following matters: textile products and shoe labelling, general safety of products (toys, electric materials, individual protection devices), safety of lifting and transport means, energy consumption of household appliances.

Control activities aiming at paying out subsidies to enterprises: the Chambers of Commerce deal with the assessment of particular conditions for the enterprises operating in specific production sectors or areas in which specific investment programmes are implemented.
In particular, said activities include inspections addressed to paper-making, chemical, pharmaceutical and textile industries, aiming at assessing the production refund for utilised flours and starches, and inspections addressed to those enterprises that availed themselves of soft loans.

Water Tariff Control Activity: this activity includes the checks on the fixing of water service, sewage and purification tariffs.

Penalties

Penalty, inflicted in compliance with law 689/1981, concern those economic operators who committed any administrative offence ascertained by a public authority.
The subject which commits an infringement has two options: either making a discharging payment or producing briefs, in unstamped paper, to the Sanctions office within thirty days after the date of refutation or notification.
In the second case, after the preliminary phase in which the position of the litigant is assessed, either an order of dismissal (if there are no formal conditions to proceed), or an injunction of payment (if the party in question is responsible for the infringement) is issued. In the event of contest of the order-injunction, besides following the eventual litigation, the Office also manages the penalty payment-related activities. In fact, besides preparing the rolls to be sent to the Concessionaire in charge of the coercive recovery of the amounts due, it also proves in bankruptcy liabilities where the authors of infringements or persons that are jointly and severally liable turn out to be bankrupt.

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