Chambre de Commerce et D'industrie du Var

For 5 centuries, the Chambers of Commerce have shaped the future of the French economy

The first Chamber of Commerce was created in 1599. It was in Marseilles. After years of civil and religious war, Marseille wanted to rely on trade to regain prosperity. the economy of the kingdom”. CCIs were born on the territory and in 1700, Louis XIV created a Permanent Trade Council. During the revolution, the Chapelier law suppresses associations and corporations. The Chambers of Commerce were removed from the landscape on September 27, 1791. In 1802, Jean-Antoine Chaptal, then Minister of the Interior, reestablished the CCIs by a decree bearing his name. Under the Third Republic, in 1898, the Chambers became public establishments.

Milestones

August 1599: King Henry IV creates the first "trade office" in Marseilles with the aim of "raising the kingdom's economy". The trade office then takes the name of "Chamber of Commerce"
1700: Appearance of Chambers of Commerce everywhere in France. Creation of a “Permanent Trade Council” intended to boost the commercial development of the country.
1791: The “Le Chapelier” law abolishes all forms of association and corporation with which the Chambers of Commerce are identified
1802: Jean-Antoine Chaptal, Napoleon's Minister of the Interior restores the legitimacy of the Chambers of Commerce
2 centuries for the Var CCI

In Toulon, the Chamber of Commerce was created at the request of the City Council by authorization of King Louis Philippe in 1833. The city and the port then experienced growing economic activity in connection with colonization. In 1872, it took the name of Chamber of Commerce of Toulon and Var. It should be noted that until this date only the notables of Toulon were called upon to vote. The current name, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Var, dates from the 80s. The Chamber of Commerce was first housed in different places in the city and it was in 1912 that President Lazare Nicoli decided to construction of a dedicated building. The plans for the Palais de la Bourse, the current building, were drawn up by the architect Honoré Monestel.

The Var CCI holds a number of registers, the oldest of which dates back to 1833. This is the year the institution was created and we find the deliberations carried over by hand with great care. The archives contain 13 registers of deliberations covering the period 1833-1930 and 14 registers of copies of letters written between 1833 and 1918. They reflect the major subjects and concerns of an entire era during which the foundations of the Var economy of the 20th century were built. In the wake of the monetary crisis that followed the 1st World War, the CCIs distributed emergency currencies in the form of paper “currency vouchers”.

The Var CCI decided on December 23, 1920 to print its own tickets. We recognize the port of Toulon and the monuments of the city. The Ministry of Finance replaces currency vouchers with currency tokens; Made of aluminum bronze, these coins bear the words “good for… cts” and are adorned with a seated representation of Mercury, who is none other than the Roman god of commerce and travellers!

2011: implementation of the CCI reform
The reform of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry comes into force on 1 January 2011. It is part of the general review of public policies (RGPP) which is not limited to the sole reform of State services. The CCIs were encouraged to propose organizational and operating reforms to improve their efficiency and the service provided to businesses while saving money by pooling resources. The new law promulgated in the official journal on July 24 is marked by the creation of regional CCIs (CCIR) to which the territorial CCIs (CCIT) are attached.