Postal Services in Europe Halt Shipments to the US
ATHENS, Greece – Several postal services across Europe have announced a suspension of shipments to the United States due to uncertainty regarding new import regulations, as stated on Saturday.
Postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy have halted the shipping of most packages. France and Austria plan to follow suit on Monday, with the UK expected to implement similar measures on Tuesday.
Items valued under $800 that were previously exempt from US tariffs, according to an order signed by President Trump last month, will now incur duties starting August 29th. This shift follows a trade agreement established last month between the US and the European Union, which instituted a 15% tariff on most goods shipped from the EU.
European postal services are currently suspending deliveries, unable to ensure that packages will arrive in the US before the August deadline. They point to confusion about which products fall under the new regulations and insufficient time to properly address the changes.
From Saturday, the German Post Office and DHL Parcel Germany stated they “will not be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers for the US.”
Similarly, the Nordic logistics firm PostNode and the Italian postal service announced suspensions on the same day. A representative from Post-Italian expressed that they would have to stop accepting all shipments to the US from August 23rd unless they receive different instructions from US authorities. However, delivery through services like DHL Express will still be available.
Björn Bergman, a spokesperson for PostNord, described the suspension as “unfortunate, but necessary” to ensure compliance with the new regulations.
In the Netherlands, a spokesperson for PostNL mentioned that the Trump administration is imposing new requirements without a clear system for US authorities to enforce them. He emphasized collaboration with US counterparts to find a resolution. “If there’s anything to send to America, you should do that today,” he advised.
The Austrian Post Office confirmed that the last day to accept commercial freight to the US, including Puerto Rico, will be Tuesday. Meanwhile, La Poste, France’s national postal service, pointed out that it had not received adequate information from the US, nor sufficient time to adjust to the new customs procedures.
“Despite discussions with US customs officials, postal operators have not been given enough time to reorganize and ensure necessary computer updates,” their statement explained.
The UK Royal Mail indicated that it will suspend US shipments to guarantee timely delivery before duties take effect, noting that packages sent from the UK will require a 10% obligation for items over $100.
Posteurop, an organization of 51 European public postal operators, warned that if a resolution is not achieved by August 29, its members may continue suspensions.
