Foreign Trade System and Law

This chapter provides a concise description of Italy's foreign trade system and law, intended for Chinese commercial actors interested in trade relations with European countries under the Belt and Road initiative. As a matter of fact, Italy, as a Member State of the European Union, is subject to the EU's exclusive competence in matters of Common Commercial Policy, and forms part of the EU's Customs Union. Accordingly, this chapter is essentially focused on the distinctive features of the EU's Customs Union and Common Commercial Policy, drawing light, insofar as relevant given the direct applicability of most EU acts in the field concerned, on national implementation issues. As noted in the introductory footnote, although this chapter is the result of mutual exchange of views among the co-authors, Fabrizio Marongiu Buonaiuti is mainly responsibile for the drafting of Sections 2.1 to 2.3 and Sections 2.5 to 2.11, while Pamela Lattanzi for the drafting of Sections 2.4 and 2.13, and Alessio Bartolacelli for the drafting of Section 2.12.