The echo of international tensions has also reached the “Giorgio Pisano” room of L'Unione Sarda, where the conference took place yesterday, part of a memorandum of understanding between the L'Unione Sarda group and the University of Cagliari and moderated by the editor-in-chief Giuseppe Deiana , to take stock of one of the most critical issues in the global economy: the customs duties imposed by the United States and their repercussions, with a focus on the implications for Sardinian businesses. The imminent protectionist crackdown announced by President Donald Trump, with the intention of raising duties on EU goods up to 50% starting in July, is sparking new uncertainties on an already slippery slope.
Duties, explained Andrea Poddighe, professor of Tax Law at the University of Cagliari, «are taxes applied to goods entering the European Union , with purposes ranging from the protection of internal markets to diplomatic leverage. They are calculated on the value or weight of the goods and established at the community level within the so-called “customs union”». An ancient tool, but still very influential in modern economic diplomacy.
But customs does not live on duties alone. As Michele Ippolito, accountant and expert on the subject, has pointed out, «customs duties also include VAT, excise duties, anchorage and warehouse duties. Some duties are of an “anti-dumping” nature, and serve to combat unfair practices, such as the fraudulent import of Chinese goods via third countries».
In other words, there is a risk of playing on a field where rules and loopholes chase each other relentlessly, where the American perspective makes the picture even more complex.
The president of the Pecorino Romano Consortium, Gianni Maoddi, outlined a delicate context: «Today our cheese enters the United States with a 10% duty that weighs enormously. A container of 300 thousand euros implies an immediate customs payment of 30 thousand euros». Despite this, however, interest remains high: «In the first quarter of 2025, sales grew by 14.8% compared to the previous year». But dark clouds loom on the horizon: «American buyers are cautious and fear buying under conditions that could become unsustainable in a few weeks».
Faced with this scenario, the world of Sardinian wine is also on alert. Mattia Piludu, general manager of Siddura, explains: «Our positioning in a medium-high range helps us to withstand the shock, but the problem is the climate of uncertainty: if duties become a heavier reality, the costs will inevitably be passed on to producers, unless there is decisive intervention by the institutions».
On the oil front, Pasquale Manca (San Giuliano) underlines the importance of niche productions , that «the moment is very critical, but at the moment there is no lack of requests and we are compensating between the two sides of the ocean by partially reducing margins, making a sacrifice that weighs, but it would weigh more to exit the market after so many years».
During the conference, Luca Tronci, researcher in Commercial Law, then offered a clear technical reading: «Duties are not included among the taxes in the income statement, but they increase the purchase cost of imported goods. This reduces the Gross Operating Margin (EBITDA), a key indicator for assessing company profitability. Lower profitability can mean less confidence from the market and credit institutions».
A dangerous spiral, in which the company finds itself having to decide whether to absorb the costs, worsening its accounts, or pass them on to the customer, fueling inflation . All this in a context of growing obligation in terms of sustainable reporting, "where companies must now measure and report their environmental impact", adds Tronci.
Meanwhile, last October 4th, a new legislative decree came into force, which rewrote the Italian customs legislation aligning it with the Union Customs Code (UCC) .
"The new rules introduce - Ippolito highlighted - administrative sanctions that are less onerous than in the past, but more complex. The crimes of smuggling, omitted or incorrect declaration remain, with very specific thresholds: an incorrect customs declaration on a value greater than 10 thousand euros is enough to enter the criminal category".
Attention, therefore, also to the details : «Today, customs compliance is a strategic necessity», warns Poddighe. Not only to avoid sanctions, but also to manage the international negotiations underway.
