Campione d’Italia joins EU Customs Union
Originally from Luzerner Zeitung, see link in German below
In 2016, Italy notified Switzerland of its intention to exercise its customs jurisdiction, including indirect taxation, over Campione d'Italia. At Italy's request, the Italian exclave Campione on Lake Lugano has been integrated into the customs territory of the EU since January 1, 2020. So far, the municipality surrounded by the canton of Ticino was part of the Swiss customs union.
Customs Controls
There were no customs controls between Switzerland and Campione. That is history now.
At the border between Bissone TI and Campione, which is decorated with an archway created by Fascism at the request of Benito Mussolini, customs signs are now emblazoned, which explain the procedure on arrival and departure when goods have to be declared.
However, systematic controls are not to be expected. There are samples on the Swiss side. The border guard already put this into practice on New Year's Day when it marked presence in front of the archway of the village. For its part, the Italian customs agency (Agenzia Dogane Monopoli) has nestled in the building that has long housed the Campione tourist office.
New bureaucracy
Sadness was felt in the Italian enclave on New Year's Day 2020. Dozens of residents met at lunchtime to let their frustration flow. "It's all irrational what's going on here," said an older man who said he had worked in the casino for 40 years. After the bankruptcy of the casino, the new customs statute now brings additional bureaucracy.
A radical change has already occurred in postal traffic. The Swiss post office was closed at the end of the year - the Swiss postal code «6911» for Campione, which was valid for decades, no longer exists. Postal traffic now runs exclusively through Italy.
And that doesn't seem to work well. "We haven't received any mail for weeks," complained a resident of the 2,000-person community, a hybrid community that has fewer and fewer Swiss elements. After all, they continue to pay in Swiss francs.
According to an agreement reached shortly before Christmas between Italy and Switzerland, services such as waste disposal and wastewater treatment will continue to be carried out by Ticino companies for the time being.
Swiss VAT