INTRODUCTION
BALDAZZI ZATTERA & ASSOCIATI (hereinafter the "Studio") is a professional association with the primary purpose of practising the activities of tax and corporate consultancy and assistance, and all other forms of assistance that the applicable law permits to those listed in the Registers of Chartered Accountants and Accounting Professionals, and/or the Register of Statutory Auditors, as per Italian Legislative Decree 27th January 2010, no. 39 and later amendments.
The Studio therefore operates with respect for the law regarding the "protected professions" provided for by the Italian legal system also for Chartered Accountants, regulated by Italian Legislative Decree no. 139 of 2005 and the related code of ethics approved by the National Council of Chartered Accountants and Accounting Professionals (CNDCEC) on 17/12/2015, and later updated at the assemblies of 16/01/2019 and 11/03/2021.
In particular, these regulations require that professionals guarantee their services in relation to a specific professional code of ethics founded on the basic principles of respect for the law and honesty, according to the dispositions of the regulatory and disciplinary appendices for Chartered Accountants.
The ethical principles contained in this Code apply, regardless of location, to every area and department, and every employed and/or self-employed worker of such organisations.
Article 1 - Field of application and addressees
This Code of Ethics (hereinafter, the "Code") identifies the guiding principles and values of the behaviour of all individuals (hereinafter, collectively, the "Addressees" and, individually, the "Addressee") who work at the Studio in any way.
The addressees of the provisions contained in the Code are the partners, associates, professionals, employees and collaborators of the Studio.
Article 2 - General provisions
The Addressees must observe the highest standards of ethical conduct, and in carrying out their tasks, must act with honesty and integrity, objectivity, decorum, discretion, decency, transparency and loyalty.
The Addressees are required to act both in compliance with the applicable laws and with respect for the Code of Ethics for Chartered Accountants and Accounting Professionals.
Each Addressee must avoid all acts or behaviours that may violate or be seen to violate the provisions of the law or regulations or the contents of the Code.
The Addressees must act and operate with care, with respect for the rules and the role assigned to them, orientating their conduct towards the achievement of the Studio's objectives and strategy.
The relationship between the Studio and each Addressee is built on trust and collaboration. Every Addressee shall ensure that their relationships with every other Addressee are inspired by harmony and avoid acts or behaviours involving animosity or conflict.
Article 3 - Diligence and professional skills
The Addressees are obliged to maintain their professional skills and expertise at the level required to guarantee clients professional services with a high level of quality, with diligence and according to current professional practice and techniques, and regulatory provisions.
The Addressees must not accept professional duties in areas in which they do not have adequate skills, taking into consideration the complexity of the practice and every other element required for such an evaluation.
The Addressees must dedicate the necessary attention and time to every matter examined, in order to acquire sufficient certainty before formulating any opinion.
The Addressees must inform the client if there is any need, during the professional service provided, to make use of the collaboration of another professional with specific expertise due to their specialisation, for professional aspects of the task assigned to them in which they do not have adequate expertise. This obligation also applies if the circumstances require the intervention of individuals listed in other Professional Registers.
The fulfilment of the obligations of continued professional training, in accordance with the provisions of the regulations issued by the National Council and local orders, constitutes the Addressees' obligation to maintain their professional expertise, but it does not exempt them from further training activities, with particular reference to sectors of specialisation and those relating to the main activities, made necessary by the nature of the professional duties taken on, with the purpose of fulfilling the provisions of paragraph 1 of this article. The Studio has prepared specific regulations and tools to systematically evaluate the skills acquired by the Addressees, which, on the basis of standardised criteria, allow each individual's strengths and weaknesses to be identified, planning the most suitable path of professional and personal training and growth to reach high quality standards.
The Addressees, when providing their services, must carry out their activities with awareness and diligence, guaranteeing the quality of the service and acting diligently, in accordance with the requirements of professional practice and the principles of behaviour approved by the National Council.
To this end, the Studio is equipped with a 9001:2015 quality certified organisational model that allows it to efficiently manage processes and resources, identifying in advance factors and areas of weakness that could compromise the achievement of expected results, with the aim of identifying opportunities for improvement that allow client satisfaction to be achieved and maintained, starting from an analysis of the context in which the Studio operates and a survey on the expectations of the interested parties.
Article 4 - Public interest
The Addressees have the duty and responsibility to act in the public interest, correctly performing their profession. Only with respect for such interest will the Addressee be able to meet the needs of his/her client.
Article 5 - Integrity, honesty and decency
The Addressees must respect and observe laws, rules and regulations, and must act with integrity, honesty and decency in all their activities and relations, both of a professional nature and of a personal nature, without any discrimination based on religion, race, ethicity, nationality, political ideology, sex or social class. The Addressees must not be in any way associated with declarations, communications or notices, to whomever they are addressed, which do not correspond with the truth, or contain misleading information, or omit fundamental information, in order to avoid misleading the recipient of the aforementioned communications. The Addressees must avoid pursuing undue benefits and must correctly fulfil the obligations undertaken with regard to the client or third parties in general.
Article 6 - Objectivity and impartiality
The Addressees must act objectively; that is, without prejudice, conflicts of interest or pressure from others who may influence their judgement or their professional activity. The Addressees must, therefore, remain impartial and avoid any relation that may cause prejudice or undue influence on their judgement or their professional activity. The Addressees must act independently; that is, they must provide their opinions without being influenced by the client's expectations and must present information sincerely, with total objectivity, highlighting, if appropriate, the necessary reserve on the value of the hypotheses formed and conclusions reached.
Article 7 - Transparency
In their relations with clients, the Addressees must dedicate adequate attention to the illustration of financial aspects, their meaning, their technical structure, consequences and possible risks, in every case providing the client with the appropriate amount of information to make decisions. Written communications must be clear and complete.
In relations with Public Officials, the Judiciary, Financial Administration and any other public servant, the obligatory information must be provided promptly and completely.
Relations with Public Officials, the Judiciary, Financial Administration and any other public servant must be built on respect.
Article 8 - Confidentiality
Without prejudice to the obligations of professional secrecy and the protection of personal data required by the applicable laws, the Addressees must guarantee strict confidentiality regarding the information acquired in the practice of their profession, and must not spread such information to anyone, unless they have the right or the duty to communicate it in compliance with the law. The information acquired in the practice of the Addressees' profession may not be used to obtain any personal advantage for the professional or third parties. The Addressees must ensure that the obligation of confidentiality is also respected by interns, employees, collaborators and colleagues.
Article 9 - Conflict of interest
Every Addressee must endeavour to prevent situations of conflict of interest, and inform the Studio of any possible interests, also of an economic nature, that he/she, his/her spouse or relatives up to the fourth degree, or cohabiting Addressees, may have in activities or decisions under his/her responsibility. Every Addressee must abstain in all circumstances from participating in activities or decisions that affect such conflict.
Article 10 - Internal relations
The Studio recognises the central role of its human resources, with the conviction that the most important factor of success for every company is guaranteed by the professional contribution of the people who work there, in an environment of loyalty and reciprocal trust.
The Studio recognises the following as essential principles of its company philosophy: respect for work; everyone's professional contribution and commitment; respect for different opinions, regardless of seniority or experience; and the strength of ideas.
In this regard, the Studio guarantees equal opportunities at all levels of the organisation, according to criteria based on merit and without any form of discrimination.
In return, the Addressees are required to be committed and to act with loyalty, guaranteeing the services due and the commitments undertaken for the Studio.
Furthermore, aware that professionalism is a value acquired through practice and experience, and specific training, the Studio recognises the significant contribution that such a process receives from professionals with more seniority, and promotes the transfer of their expertise and professional attitude to younger professionals.
The Studio pursues the promotion of professionalism, individual aspirations, and everyone's learning expectations and expectations for professional and personal growth.
Article 11 - Violation of the provisions of the Code of Ethics
The violation of the provisions contained in this Code may damage the relationship of trust between the Studio and the Addressee responsible for the violation, and may also lead to the dismissal of the latter.
Article 12 - Updates to the Code
This Code may be subject to periodic evaluations, as well as updates on the basis of new legislation and updates to ethical principles.