Air couriers need less regulation

Speaking at a conference on “The Air Courier and Logistics Market – Innovation and Globalization” Alberto Nobis president of AICAI (Italian Association of International Couriers) spoke of members’
worries and problems including fiscal and social contributions amongst the highest in Europe which impede competition and therefore imports/exports. AICAI’s membership includes DHL Express Italy, FedEx Express Italy, TNT Italy and UPS Italy. The conference was attended by Gabriele Sigismondi of Poste Italiane, Giuseppe Mele of Confindustria, Enrico Finocchi from the Ministry for Infrastructure and Transport and Fabio Coggiati of ICE. Mr. Nobis said “AICAI have always made their experience available to help the economy by using their added value service to benefit international trade and therefore growth.

We see a worrying increase in regulation and costs such as the increased and retroactive contribution to Agcom (Authority Guarantor for Communications) as well as totally unjustifiable permissions to operate with the armed forces also introduced recently by Agcom. These affect our customers as well as ourselves who compete in world markets. Express couriers collaborate with state entities to support business. We are in continuing discussion with all parties to bring about simplification which we believe is the way to help the recovery of the economy and to guarantee the best working conditions for couriers who are responsible for handling 40% of import/export at Italian airports”.
Express couriers, as recognized by EU regulations, operate in a different market from postal services although AICA has an active collaboration with the postal authorities.

“We are concerned that the sector becomes further regulated, for example a recent decree from the Ministry for Economic Development entitled “Measures and Methods for Payment of Dues by Postal Sector Operators to the Authority Guarantor for Communications for 2012/13 and 14”. These dues, also to be paid by express couriers, are for the costs of Agcom”.
Mr. Nobis underlines that in no other major European country has legislator and regulator brought in similar regulations. In two other countries, Austria and Portugal, similar regulations were immediately contested as having no legitimacy and violating free markets.