Speaking in Rome after a cabinet meeting on 12 November, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti urged the European Commission to advance its proposed levy on low-value e-commerce parcels—currently slated for 2028—by at least two years. The levy would remove the VAT exemption on goods valued under €150 imported from outside the EU, a threshold that Chinese online platforms have leveraged to flood the bloc with cheap products.
Giorgetti framed the proposal as a matter of “fair competition,” but it carries tangible mobility implications. Customs brokers at ports such as Genoa and at fast-parcel hubs like Milan-Malpensa say accelerating the timetable will require significant IT upgrades and additional staffing to process millions of declarations that are currently waved through. The government is already modelling a 40 % increase in customs-inspection volumes in 2026 if Brussels agrees.
![Italy Pushes EU to Bring Forward E-Commerce Parcel Levy to 2026]()
For multinational retailers using Italy as a fulfilment centre, the earlier levy could reshape supply-chain strategies. Goods now routed via Italian airports for onward distribution to other EU states might shift to intra-EU warehousing to avoid dual taxation. Conversely, logistics operators see an opportunity: more inspections could mean longer dwell times, boosting demand for bonded-warehouse space around Verona and Bologna.
The political calculus is also linked to migration debates. Officials argue that demonstrating effective control over goods parallels efforts to control irregular migration, reinforcing Italy’s call for tighter external-border regimes.
Companies engaged in cross-border e-commerce should begin contract reviews now, assessing Incoterms, DDP/DDU cost splits and last-mile delivery service-level agreements, as timelines for levy adoption look increasingly fluid.
Giorgetti framed the proposal as a matter of “fair competition,” but it carries tangible mobility implications. Customs brokers at ports such as Genoa and at fast-parcel hubs like Milan-Malpensa say accelerating the timetable will require significant IT upgrades and additional staffing to process millions of declarations that are currently waved through. The government is already modelling a 40 % increase in customs-inspection volumes in 2026 if Brussels agrees.
For multinational retailers using Italy as a fulfilment centre, the earlier levy could reshape supply-chain strategies. Goods now routed via Italian airports for onward distribution to other EU states might shift to intra-EU warehousing to avoid dual taxation. Conversely, logistics operators see an opportunity: more inspections could mean longer dwell times, boosting demand for bonded-warehouse space around Verona and Bologna.
The political calculus is also linked to migration debates. Officials argue that demonstrating effective control over goods parallels efforts to control irregular migration, reinforcing Italy’s call for tighter external-border regimes.
Companies engaged in cross-border e-commerce should begin contract reviews now, assessing Incoterms, DDP/DDU cost splits and last-mile delivery service-level agreements, as timelines for levy adoption look increasingly fluid.
