LEGISLATION
THE VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS ACT
The setting up of voluntary organisations under Maltese law is regulated by the Voluntary Organisations Act. The law was introduced by means of the Voluntary Organisations Act (Chapter 492 of the Laws of Malta) in 2007 with the intention of regulating a wide-ranging sector which had been so far left to its own devices. The law also established the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisation, who is the authority in charge with overseeing the enrolment process for voluntary organisations.
The Voluntary Organisations Act also works in conjunction with the Second Schedule of the Civil Code (Chapter 16 of the Laws of Malta)
LEGAL NOTICES
With the introduction of Subsidiary Legislation 492.01 (Annual Returns and Annual Accounts) Regulations of 2012, Voluntary Organisations enrolled with the Office of the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations are now legally bound to submit annual returns and accounts in a timely and accurate manner on a yearly basis. The introduction of this Subsidiary Legislation represented a new challenge for enrolled Voluntary organisations and more responsibility for the CVO Office both as a sector regulator and even more as a leader for enrolled Voluntary organisations.
Subsidiary Legislation 492.03 and 492.04 regulate Public Collections and Charity Shops respectively.