ISBN 978-88-99517-01-4 Consiglio Nazionale English Version dei Dottori Commercialisti e degli Esperti Contabili 9 788899 517014 ISBN 978-88-99517-01-4 © Copyright Fondazione Nazionale dei Commercialisti. Edition July 2015 The translation, adaptation in whole or in part, reproduction by any means (including microfilm, film, photocopies), and electronic storage are reserved in every country. The professional qualification ofCommercialista comprises a wide range of activities that broadly correspond to the following: English: Professional Accountant, Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Accountant, Statutory Auditor French: Expert-Comptable, Commissaire aux Comptes Spanish: Contable, Economista, Censor jurado de cuentas Table of Contents Introduction by Gerardo Longobardi, President CNDCEC3 4 Members of the board of CNDCEC 6 The National Foundation - FNC 7 3 Historical overview 9 Entering the profession 13 Roles and activities 23 Practicing the accountancy profession 31 Our governance structure of Contents Table 39 Key figures 57 Table of Contents Table Territorial Bodies (Ordini Territoriali) 65 Introduction by Gerardo Longobardi, President CNDCEC Being a Commercialista The Commercialisti have taken part to the social, economic, business, and institutional evolution of our country for almost one century now, since the Law that has regulated the accounting Profession for the first time dates back to 1905 and 1929. Over time, and with the evolution of our regulatory models, the Profession consists today of 116,000 members and is organised according 4 to the Legislative Decree 139/2005 and the related regulations. Nowadays, the daily, medium and long-term challenges that we are facing – in our capacity as citizens and professionals – are of vital importance; they have the faces of cultures and experiences that take form overseas and bring the sound and echo of different languages. We are an integral and synergic part of an economic system that is increasingly characterised by the presence of new technologies and by the need to promote specialised knowledge, skills, and the ability to communicate about our activity and social mission. This is not an easy passage for professionals who spend most of their working time behind their “traditional” desks, yet many of us today already work in cloud. Introduction The European integration processes, with its founding values such as free movement and free establishment of persons and services, are essential benchmarks for the institutional and professional activity of each of us and have great impact on our way of considering issues, such as independence, market and personal life opportunities. Through this short publication, we wish to outline the main features of our Profession – how to become a professional accountant, the services we provide, the rules that regulate our activity, and the guarantees for building a reliable relationship based on quality and public interest. We are confronted every day with the challenge of bridging the knowledge and expectation gaps between being the Commercialista, intended as both the single professional and the professional being part of the Ordine professionale, and the Commercialista resulting from collective stereotypes. Our activities, our responsibilities and our contribution to the development of a sustainable economy and to the Public Sector go far beyond what users may think. It is really important for me to introduce this concept because our Profession is based on a cultural mainstay, that is, the sense of social duty guiding our 5 actions and our approach to theoretical research and practice. Behind each document and each file, there is a face. Each situation requires action, which is not technical knowledge but global understanding. We have promoted an active presence of our Profession at EXPO Milano 2015 – a forum for cultural exchanges, hectic activities, and proposals to “feed the planet” – where we are presenting our proposal for the future of our Country. Nowadays, the development and the ability to generate changes could be realized only if a joint and well-coordinated effort is made by all stakeholders – including public entities, governmental agencies, and professionals – towards simplification, assisted by a clear and well-implemented legislation, and by the courage to look ahead. Introduction On behalf of my 116,000 Colleagues and on my personal behalf, I wish to thank you all for placing every day your faith in our work, for your creativity, your energy, your enthusiasm, and for your entrepreneurial and institutional projects that we follow and support with passion Gerardo Longobardi Members of the Board of CNDCEC Office Holders President Board Members Gerardo Longobardi Adriano Barbarisi Maria Luisa Campise Vice President Andrea Foschi 6 Davide Di Russo Maurizio G. Grosso Vito Jacono Secretary Attilio Liga Achille Coppola Giorgio Luchetta Luigi Mandolesi Treasurer Raffaele Marcello Roberto Cunsolo Marcello Marchetti Massimo Miani Giovanni G. Parente Ugo Marco Pollice Antonio Repaci Felice Ruscetta Sandro Santi Maria Rachele Vigani Members of the Board of CNDCEC of the Board Members CNDCEC CEO Piazza della Repubblica, 59 Francesca Maione 00185 – Roma Tel. 06.47863300 Fax. 06.47863349 E-mail. [email protected] Web. www.commercialisti.it The National Foundation - FNC President Scientific Director 7 Giorgio Sganga Giovanni Castellani Board Members Scientific Committee Alessandro Clò Salvatore Bilardo 7 Luigi Carunchio Vincenzo Busa Michele De Tavonatti Mario Cicala Nicolò La Barbera Marco Elefanti Vittorio Raccamari Carlo Ricozzi Francesco Renne Board of Statutory Auditors Claudio Solferini Gaetano Ambrogio Maurizio Napolitano - FNC The National Foundation The National Foundation - FNC The National Foundation FNC Piazza della Repubblica, 68 00185 – Roma Tel. 06.4782901 Fax. 06.4874756 E-mail. [email protected] Web. www.fondazionenazionalecommercialisti.it 1 Historical overview The origins of the accounting profession date back to the first forms of bookkeeping. As early as some five thousand years ago, the Sumerians engraved their accounting entries on clay tablets. In Ancient Rome, existed different accounting professions (calculatores or ratiocinatores),9 which were gathered in the collegia opificium. In the first half of the th12 Century, the profession started being organised as a guild, just like all other intellectual professions of those times. The first professional profile similar to the presentCommercialista dates 9 back to the 14th century, when Milan’s city government formally appointed a “Rasonato” as the person in charge of public sector accounting and bookkeeping. During the Renaissance, Father Luca Pacioli gave an essential contribution to the development of the profession. Thanks to his acquaintances – which included the merchants and trade organisations of Venice, Milan, and Perugia – he had developed his scientific skills and pragmatic approaches to mathematics and accounting. His “Summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni e proportionalita” – which is a real mathematical encyclopaedia – includes a chapter called “Tractatus de computis et scripturis”, where he presented for the first time the concept of double-entry overview 1. Historical bookkeeping, that became known throughout Europe under the name of “Venetian method”. In 1582, a few years after Pacioli’s death, Venice’s Council of Ten set up the first “Collegio dei Rasonati” (Institute of bookkeepers), with a view to establishing 1. Historical overview 1. Historical a list of accountants and improving the Republic’s financial performance and control. A few decades later, in 1620, the “Registro dei Liquidatori giurati” (Roll of sworn liquidators)”, including all practitioners dealing with judicial winding- up proceedings, was established. In early 19th century, a piece of legislation promulgated by the Cisalpine Republic’s Vice-President provided for the requirements to be met in order to become a ragioniere, such as successfully passing a final exam, including a double-entry bookkeeping test. The accounting profession continued being organised as a guild until the Le Chapalier Law of 1791 which provided for the dissolution of all guilds, in the name of the freedom of association and personal independence. However, the Le Chapalier Law did not remain in force for long as, as early as 1810, Napoleon re-established the Bar, under the Government’s control. Right afterwards, the old professional associations started being brought back to life; however, they were not the expression of private organised social groups as they had been in the past but, rather, independent public-law entities submitted to the Government supervision. In 1906, a Royal Decree gave formal recognition to the profession of Ragioniere, while the profession of Dottore Commercialista was formally recognised later on, with the opening of a university, specifically dealing with economic subject matters. At first, Milan’s Bocconi University graduates established private associations and, in 1910, they set up the first informal provincial professional 10 bodies. Ever since, the Italian profession has always been characterised by its academic nature. The Roll was established at the first national Congress of Italian “Dottori in scienze commerciali” (“commercial science graduates”), which was held in 1911, while the “Dottore Commercialista” professional qualification was coined in 1913. In 1929, the profession was further regulated thanks to the adoption of two sets