COUNCIL OF BRITISH CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE IN EUROPE

The British Chamber of Commerce for Italy (BCCI) is a private, non-profit-making entity that works closely with the British Consulate General in Milan and with the diplomatic posts in Naples and Florence, as well as with the British Embassy in Rome. It represents in Italy the interests of the Confederation of British Industry and the British Standards Institute. It also maintains ties in the UK with the Department of Trade and Industry and with the Association of British Chambers of Commerce and – throughout Europe – with COBCOE, the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Continental Europe.

The BCCI was founded in 1904 in Genoa but today its headquarters are in Milan. Regional branches of the Chamber are operative throughout Italy and there is also a secretary in London. The Chamber has about 400 members, for the most part Italian and British companies, including branches of British businesses operating in Italy, Italian companies that have trade relations with the United Kingdom, service providers and professional consultants.

We believe that the Chamber’s fundamental mission is to serve our members well, remembering at all times that, besides being members, they are our main source of financial support. We anticipate their needs and do our utmost to satisfy them, by providing a service of excellent quality and value.

Our Objectives

The BCCI’s objectives can be summarised as follows:

• to serve as a point of reference for British commercial interests in Italy and to provide congenial meeting opportunities for business men and women, particularly those from the UK and Italy
• to provide services and advice to both private individuals and companies, who may not necessarily be Chamber members but who intend to start a business activity in the UK or in Italy
• to support the British export development activities of departments of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) with a view to facilitating trade between Italy and the United Kingdom
• to offer members a full range of services in the areas of trade, business promotion and both business and social networking
• to encourage Italians to study English in the UK and other English-speaking countries throughout the world, taking advantage of the services offered by the English Language Consultancy Service (ELCS)
• to promote specialised language learning (commercial and legal), through the International Professional English Certificate (IPEC)

John J. Law
President, British Chamber of Commerce for Italy