The law regulating co-operatives and the auditor

Abstract

The Co-operative Societies Act 1978 was brought into force twenty years ago, on the 16 m April 1979. This Act incorporates most of the rules that regulate co-operatives in Malta and it replaced an earlier law, the Co-operative Societies Ordinance 1946, which had been adopted on the 8th July 1946. There are today about forty-two active co-operatives in operation. The 1978 Act was passed by Parliament after a rather lengthy debate, which reflected both the importance given to the subject and the length o.f the Act itself. The Act consists of 117 sections and two schedules. It is a very interesting piece of legislation which has not, in my view, received sufficient credit and analysis. Things are however on the move, and under the title "Co-operatives law to be changed to promote expansion", The Times of 17th February 1999 reported that "The government plans to amend the law regulating co-operatives in the coming months, social Policy Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday". A week later, an editorial in the same newspaper reported rather cheerfully that "Few things could ring more pleasantly upon the ear than the news that in the coming months the government plans to amend the law regulating co-operatives in order to encourage the formation of new ones. "