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European Postal Services Halt U.S. Shipments Over Trump’s Tariffs

Commercial packages being shipped from India will also be affected, with more countries expected to announce similar measures.

Postal services across Europe are pausing the shipment of “most merchandise” to the U.S. “amid a lack of clarity over new import duties” put in place by President Donald Trump, reports CBS News. Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Italy announced they were halting shipments of goods stateside on Saturday. Barring a quick clarification from the White House, the postal services of France and Austria will pause U.S.-bound packages on Monday, followed by the United Kingdom on Tuesday. Trump signed a decree in July that makes nearly all foreign goods subject to an import duty, even those valued at less than $800, which were previously permitted to enter duty-free because of the de minimis exemption. That exemption is ending Aug. 23, forcing postal services to halt shipments they cannot guarantee will reach the U.S. ahead of the new tariffs’ start date. The Trump administration also reached an agreement with the European Union last month to set a 15 percent tax on the majority of products imported from its 27 member states. However, the postal services said it is unclear which goods are not covered by the new rules, which were hastily rolled out this summer, and said that it is safer for them to halt shipments outright.