Chambers of commerce are business advocacy groups which are usually not associated with government. They are separate from the Better Business Bureau insofar as there is no national organization that binds them under a formal operations doctrine. Chambers of commerce can also include economic development groups, as well as tourism and visitors bureaus.
There are basically two models worldwide, 'compulsory' or 'continental', those which companies of a certain area are obliged to belong to. This happens in most countries of EU (France, Germany, Italy, Spain). Their main tasks are Foreign Trade Promotion, Training and General Services to companies. They also have a consultive function. This means that Administration must consult chambers whenever a new law related industry or commerce is proposed. Non compulsory models exist in Anglo-saxon countries like USA, UK.
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