Italy has definitively scrapped a planned €2 contribution on small parcels arriving from outside the European Union, removing the measure before it ever took effect. The levy was introduced by last year’s budget law but had been postponed several times. Article 30 of the draft budget bill now cancels it by repealing paragraphs 126, 127 and 128 of the previous budget measure.
According to the government at the time, the charge was meant to cover administrative costs linked to customs procedures for extra-EU packages. It was originally scheduled to start in January 2026, then pushed to July, October and December, and finally to January 1, 2027. The repeated delays left the executive having to cover the missing revenue through decrees.
The explanatory report says the abolition is linked to the new EU Customs Code, Regulation 2026/2108 of September 16. The technical report sets out the financial picture. When the contribution was introduced, budget forecasts valued it at €245 million a year. The updated estimate has fallen to €91.3 million.
The change reflects shifts in the market. From July 1, 2026, the customs duty exemption for shipments below €150 was removed and a European €3 duty was introduced. Projecting July and August customs data across the year, shipments subject to the contribution amount to 61.7 million. After a 7.6% decline due to higher prices and 20% evasion, at €2 per parcel the lost revenue is estimated at €91.3 million a year.
A Commission official said that in the three months after the duty was introduced, packages declared in customs systems fell by an average of more than 60%. The EU still receives 5 million items a day, after 5.9 billion parcels were imported last year. In coordinated customs controls, 60% of products were found to be non-compliant.
Sources: Il Sole 24 Ore Italia.