On 16 December 2024, the Commission opened an infringement against Italy for failing to correctly apply Regulation No 1072/2009 establishing common rules for access to the international road haulage market.

More particularly, the Regulation establishes that the penalties provided for infringements committed in a Member Stateare imposed in a non-discriminatory manner, regardless of nationality or place of establishment. Under Italian law, however, only bank transfers and cash payments are accepted for fines, which can lead to unequal treatment of foreign hauliers who often face longer waiting times for bank transfers to be confirmed before their immobilised vehicles are released, unlike domestic bank transfers. Foreign drivers, therefore, may incur parking fees to the Italian authorities, which leads to a higher end-fine compared to vehicles registered in Italy. 

Italy has now two months to respond to the letter of formal notice and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission which, in the absence of a satisfactory response, may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.

Marco Stillo