Source: Unioncamere Veneto press office
A decision that increases costs, bureaucracy and time for young people who want to set up a business in Italy. By making it compulsory to go through a notary’s office, we are
complicating something as simple as opening an innovative start-up, which used to take 2-3 days at the most through the Chambers of Commerce portal and was free of charge. In a game like that of
innovative start-ups, which concerns the future, we must not pursue battles and interests of corporations, but have the objective of freeing young entrepreneurs from the burden of bureaucracy that
hinders development and innovation.
The possibility of online registration has achieved important results in recent years, making the process more effective and efficient, so there is no reason to turn back and harness
positive energies. In recent years, the Chambers of Commerce have also ensured respect for legality by carrying out accurate and meticulous checks on the new companies that were being formed.
This is how President Pozza comments on the decision of the Council of State, which on 29 March annulled the decree of the Ministry of Economic Development (Mise) that allowed
innovative start-ups to be set up directly online, without any notary ‘endorsement’ or, in other words, ‘in the absence of a public deed’.
The Council of State upheld the appeal of the National Council of Notaries, which had been rejected instead by the decision of the Tar Lazio in 2017. There is therefore an obligation to go to
the notary with a lengthening of the time and cost of the procedures. Veneto is the second Italian region for the presence of innovative start-ups after Lombardy; according to Infocamere data,
there are 1034 innovative start-ups, representing 8.23% of the national total.
Following the 2016 decree, the Veneto Chambers of Commerce activated a dedicated portal (startup.registroimprese.it) where you can fill in your statute and at the end of the process
receive free advice before digitally signing the deed and sending the documentation to the Agenzia delle Entrate for registration. This service has yielded satisfactory results in recent years
(around 40 registrations per year in each chamber of commerce), allowing young founders of innovative start-ups to cut down on time and costs.
For innovative start-ups set up in chambers of commerce, an important control phase was envisaged in accordance with the principles and rules of anti-money laundering, as already happened recently
with the distribution of resources from the business rescue fund.
President Pozza explains why he defends the possibility of online registration: in recent years, the Chamber system has always worked alongside innovative start-ups, offering support and
advice, especially in the establishment phase. I would like to remind you that when young entrepreneurs arrive at the chamber of commerce counter, they are not unprepared, but come with the advice
of their professionals (accountants and bookkeepers, for example) and a ready-made, detailed business plan.
The reasons put forward by the professional association, which complains of a lack of control, are specious because the Italian Chambers of Commerce, thanks to Infocamere, hold
data on companies from their inception and then monitor their development until closure, so much so that Unioncamere makes this data available to the Prefectures, Police Headquarters and the
Financial Police with the aim of helping to combat malfeasance and crime. Our commitment does not end here, because for years the Chamber system has also been investing in training in schools with
dedicated projects, memoranda of understanding and collaborations with trade associations such as Coldiretti to defeat agro-criminality.
We learn, then, that this order has recently committed to reducing time with the creation of a digital platform for innovative start-ups and wants to reduce costs to a minimum: better late than
never. These days, the issue of innovative start-ups is creating an important debate that testifies to the attention paid to the subject, and there should have been an amendment to put a hand to a
very serious problem that concerns those innovative start-ups that were set up at the Chamber of Commerce and today do not know what to do and what will happen to them. Do they have to go to the
notary and start all over again? This has created concern and above all uncertainty, which is the worst thing in the business world. It is more necessary than ever to find a solution and give an
answer to these young entrepreneurs.
The government strongly believes in the digitalisation of the country and is preparing to invest heavily in this area with most of the resources coming from Europe. Innovative start-ups are
the driving force behind digital transition and innovation. So we wonder why the right hand is pointing in one direction and the left hand in the diametrically opposite direction, but this
is part of the Italian tradition that is often the victim of corporations. This is why I am calling on the government, President Draghi, political forces, and trade associations to find a
solution to this problem. The Chambers of Commerce are on the side of companies and young entrepreneurs. These decisions encourage people to flee our country and we are letting our best energies
escape. Then we cannot complain.
This choice weighs on the future of our young people because in global competition with other European start-ups they are at a disadvantage in the starting blocks if we consider that in France
and England, for example, the step with the notary is not necessary. This is why we cannot go backwards, making it difficult to set up innovative start-ups that are the engine of development.
