The Chamber of commerce

The Chamber of commerce

The Bergamo Chamber of commerce, an autonomous public law entity, represents the provincial economic system.
It has always supported businesses, with a special focus on small and medium-sized enterprises, which form the productive heart of the territory.

The Bergamo Chamber of commerce is part of a network system in Italy connecting:

• 62 Chambers of Commerce
• Assocamerestero
• 10 Regional Unions
• 61 special agencies
• Unioncamere nazionale
• Numerous system companies and bodies

It is constantly integrated with national, regional, and provincial institutions, as well as with trade associations, labour organisations, consumer groups, professional bodies, and the credit world.

With a strong commitment to fostering the international openness of the territory, it provides businesses with a privileged gateway to new markets. The Chamber of commerce manages the Business Register as well as other registers and lists established by law for the conduct of economic activities, thus acting as the official registry of enterprises.

It supports the development of the local area and economy, and promotes culture and tourism. It is actively engaged in youth policies concerning education and employment, encourages the creation of new businesses, the development of infrastructure, and the exhibition system.

The Chamber supports business activities with a particular focus on economic, environmental, and social sustainability, internationalisation, and digital transformation. It fosters the adoption of innovation, technology transfer, and access to credit. It also promotes research and data analysis on the economy. 

Moreover, it ensures actions to safeguard market transparency, fairness in economic relations between businesses and between businesses and consumers, as well as providing consumer protection services and dispute resolution mechanisms.

Some of the aforementioned activities—implemented through training, information, or consultancy initiatives—are delegated to the special agency Bergamo Sviluppo, which promotes initiatives to support business start-ups and to strengthen the entrepreneurial culture, innovation, and digitalisation of companies across the province.

The Actions of the Chamber of commerce

In a province rich in entrepreneurial tradition and a deeply rooted culture of work, the Camera di Commercio di Bergamo pursues a mission of supporting the local economy. “Serving Bergamo’s values” is the phrase that accompanies the Chamber of commerce’s logo, which best expresses its mission and summarises its objective: to enhance the work ethic, understood as a fundamental value for the development of the territory, with the aim of generating growth and creating value that is sustainable over time.

This mission is carried out by promoting training, enhancing the intangible capital of enterprises — namely human, relational, and organisational capital — and spreading the capacity for innovation and effective business management, always with respect for nature, environmental resources, and cultural heritage, in full alignment with ESG principles.

The pursuit of the continuous improvement of performance is a key principle: to provide services of ever greater quality, reliability and cost-effectiveness, but also to meet new needs. Investments are constant, often in synergy with the entire chamber system, in the digitalisation, simplification and dematerialisation of processes.

Development of the economic community

The Chamber of commerce supports businesses in achieving specific goals, particularly in light of the ongoing twin transition — digital and green. Through grants, projects, and dedicated services, it promotes innovation, sustainability, and the adoption of new technologies within the production system.It also fosters an entrepreneurial culture and supports the creation and growth of new enterprises, with particular attention to youth, women’s, social, and innovative start-ups.

The Chamber acts as an economic observatory, publishing economic and
statistical reports on foreign trade, as well as analyses of trends in the agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors. It also oversees the collection of prices for building materials — a strategic area for the province. The enhancement of local supply chains, the integration between public and private sectors, and the creation of shared initiatives lie at the heart of its work: a constant commitment to strengthening territorial attractiveness and promoting modern, inclusive, and lasting development.

Sustainability Report of the Chamber of commerce of Bergamo

In 2020 the Chamber of commerce undertook a path of reporting on economic, social and environmental sustainability which, through the publication of the Sustainability Report, summarises and communicates its values, objectives, activities, impacts and results to stakeholders. Attention to the environment translates into initiatives for energy efficiency, the reduction of emissions and the conscious use of resources.

On the social level, the Chamber supports the digital and green transition of enterprises, invests in training, and promotes collaboration among the various actors in the territory. In governance, it adopts principles of ethics, simplification and innovation, enhancing the digitalisation of services to ensure quality, transparency and accessibility.

Through the Sustainability Report, the Chamber of commerce renews its commitment to a more innovative, inclusive and sustainable future, in which economic growth goes hand in hand with the well-being of the community and the protection of the environment. 

Digitalisation

The Camera di Commercio di Bergamo is strongly committed to supporting
businesses in the field of digitalisation — one of the most pressing challenges for boosting production and investment. It should be noted that the Italian Chambers of Commerce, in line with the National Industry 4.0 Plan, have created the Punti Impresa Digitale (Digital Enterprise Desks, or PIDs), the purpose of which is to promote innovation and digital transformation across Italian businesses and the broader economic system. The Chamber of commerce of Bergamo has entrusted Bergamo Sviluppo with the management of Bergamo’s PID. The goal is to increase business awareness of digital solutions, their benefits, and the risks associated with not adopting such new technologies. Topics covered include artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, big data, additive manufacturing, augmented reality, and cloud technologies.

Internationalisation

International markets represent a vital resource for Bergamo’s enterprises, which have always been outward-looking. The Chamber of commerce supports companies throughout their internationalisation journey. Through the LombardiaPoint helpdesk, it provides in-depth information on foreign markets and offers technical assistance on specific issues such as customs regulations, contracts, and international taxation. It also organises B2B business meetings and networking events.

With Bergamo Sviluppo, the offer is completed with additional proposals for those embarking on the path of internationalisation. These are both technical training and advanced specialist training courses, also in collaboration with Promos and the University of Bergamo, aimed at strengthening entrepreneurial or managerial skills.

Territory promotion, culture and tourism

One of the Chamber of commerce’s key functions is to foster local economic development. Significant financial resources are invested to implement promotional initiatives directly, to support those organised by other entities, or to participate in joint projects with other institutions.

Thanks to the support of the Chamber of commerce, numerous high-profile events are held in the cultural, musical and artistic fields, making Bergamo a lively, attractive and interesting province.

The Chamber of commerce cares about the specificities of the territory and
promotes two quality marks: Bergamo, Città dei Mille... sapori (Bergamo, City of a Thousand… Flavours) dedicated to traditional Bergamasque gastronomic products, and Original Stones of Bergamo, which guarantees the geographical origin of stone materials for ornamental use.

Youth, education, and employment

The Chambers of Commerce play a key role in linking the education system with the world of work. Bergamo Sviluppo offers secondary schools a range of initiatives designed to help final-year students approach the “entrepreneurial culture” and gain insight into the professional world awaiting them after graduation — encouraging informed choices about further education. It also supports the implementation of PCTO (Pathways for Transversal Skills and Orientation) programmes, which help students develop soft skills and career awareness. Through the Excelsior information system, the Chamber monitors, on a monthly basis, employment prospects across local enterprises and the corresponding demand for professional profiles.

Safeguarding legality and market transparency

The mediation service offered by the Chamber of commerce of Bergamo enables the rapid and cost-effective resolution of civil and commercial disputes with the assistance of an independent, neutral mediator.

In 2024, the mediation service handled more than 200 cases. Over 40% of proceedings concluded with the participation of both parties resulted in a successful agreement — a success rate that continues to grow year after year.