Law No. 12.773 amending Law No. 11.159 of 2022 on the State Policy for Support to Cooperatives in the State of Rio Grande do Norte.

This Law amends the State Policy for Support to Cooperatives within the State of Rio Grande do Norte by introducing new provisions specifically concerning cooperative societies. Its main objective is to strengthen the legal and institutional framework governing cooperatives by providing a formal definition of cooperative societies and establishing clearer requirements for their recognition within the state. Under the amendment, only cooperatives that are duly constituted under federal legislation and registered with both the Junta Comercial do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (JUCERN) and the Organização das Cooperativas do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte (OCERN) are recognised for the purposes of the state policy. The law also seeks to improve legal certainty, transparency and oversight in the formation of cooperative societies. To this end, it requires JUCERN to obtain a certificate issued by OCERN confirming that a cooperative has complied with the legal requirements for its establishment before its constitutive acts can be registered. By reinforcing registration and verification procedures, the amendment aims to ensure the proper organisation and credibility of cooperatives operating in Rio Grande do Norte, thereby supporting the broader development of the cooperative sector within the state.