BRUSSELS — Lille beat off eight other European cities in voting on Wednesday to host the all-new EU Customs Authority, defeating Rome in the third round of a nail-biting run-off vote.

EU governments and lawmakers had earlier separately backed the two candidate cities, setting up the final showdown. In joint voting, Lille won 36 votes to Rome’s 18, the Cyprus presidency of the Council confirmed.

Pascal Lamy, the ambassador for the high-powered bid by the northern French city, was magnanimous in victory.

“Two excellent finalists,” the former EU trade commissioner and WTO Director-General told POLITICO. “Lille had a slight lead and managed to hold on to it right up to the finish line.”

The other contenders — Bucharest, Liège, Málaga, Porto, The Hague, Warsaw and Zagreb —  went away empty handed.

Staffed by around 250 well-paid EU officials, EUCA will coordinate oversight of imports of everything from sketchy plastic toys to noncompliant cosmetics and illegal drugs.

Under a broader customs reform to be wrapped up on Thursday, the EU would also set up a central IT hub to help cope with a fast-growing influx of packages delivered by e-commerce platforms.

“At a time when trade has once again become a diplomatic weapon, this authority will play a decisive role in defending our interests,” French EU minister Benjamin Haddad wrote in a social media post, celebrating Lille’s “great victory.”

Front runner

Lille was first out the blocks, launching its bid to host the authority in November by inviting officials from around the bloc to visit the modern building that could host the agency, showing them the international school where EUCA staff could send their kids and plying them with local delicacies. while tasting local delicacies.

Rome’s bid was less fancied, with tactical voting by representatives of the center-right European People’s Party shifting its way to prevent Lille winning outright at the group stage, according to two sources.

Despite leading 18 out of 27 EU governments and having 14 out of 51 MEPs on the European Parliament’s IMCO committee that took part in the vote, the EPP failed to heave its favored candidate — Warsaw — into the final round.

France has a Renew-led government while Italy is headed by the European Conservatives and Reformists.

In the end, the race to host the EU customs authority came down to the umpteenth round of a long-running Franco-Italian duel.

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron are known for their regular clashes on pretty much everything but, at least until now, they have not publicly fought against each other to host the EUCA.

Koen Verhelst reported from Brussels and Giorgio Leali reported from Paris.

This report has been updated.