US suspends numerous shipments from Europe due to import tariffs.
Postal services across various European countries have announced the suspension of shipments bound for the United States due to rising confusion and a lack of clarity surrounding new import tariffs. Prominent shipping companies such as DHL, along with postal services in Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, have temporarily halted most merchandise deliveries to the U.S. as they adapt to impending regulatory changes.
Effective Friday, the United States will terminate its long-standing exemption on duties for low-value packages under the “de minimis” rule, which previously allowed items valued under 0 to be imported duty-free. This policy shift, announced by the White House last month, will compel all imported goods beneath this threshold to incur tariffs. However, certain items such as letters, books, and small parcels valued under 0 will remain exempt from these duties.
Several European postal services have opted to pause deliveries due to uncertainty over whether goods could make it into the U.S. before these new rules come into effect. DHL Parcel Germany, the largest shipping provider in Europe, has explicitly stated that it can no longer accept or transport parcels containing items from businesses destined for the U.S., further complicating the logistics of international shipping.
The ambiguity surrounding the new customs regulations—specifically in terms of the collection of customs duties and the additional data requirements—has left many postal services scrambling to adapt. La Poste Group, France’s national postal service, highlighted that U.S. authorities only provided the technical specifications and implementation details of the new tariffs on August 15, significantly constraining the preparation time for European services.
As of Saturday, services in France and Austria are set to initiate their shipping suspensions, while the United Kingdom is scheduled to follow suit on Tuesday. The Royal Mail has stated that it will temporarily pause shipments from businesses to the U.S., expressing hopes to resume operations shortly after implementing a new system designed to ensure compliance with the updated regulations.
The duration of these suspensions remains uncertain, creating a potential backlog that could affect businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. European postal services are actively collaborating with U.S. authorities to navigate the complexities posed by these new tariff regulations, aiming to restore normalcy in international shipping as swiftly as possible.
Adapting to these significant changes will require extensive coordination and communication between logistic providers and regulatory bodies. As the situation evolves, stakeholders will be closely monitoring developments to ensure compliance and minimize disruptions to international trade and shipping.
(Media News Source)
