ATHENS, Greece — Multiple postal services around Europe announced Saturday that they are suspending the shipment of many packages to the United States amid a lack of clarity over new import duties.
Postal services in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Italy said they will stop shipping most merchandise to the U.S. effective immediately. France and Austria will follow Monday, and the United Kingdom Tuesday.
Under a decree signed by President Donald Trump last month, international goods that were previously exempt from U.S. tariffs — those valued under $800 — will be subject to import duties from Aug. 29. Letters, books, gifts and small parcels worth less than $100 will continue to be exempt.
A trade framework agreed by the U.S. and the European Union last month set a 15% tariff on the vast majority of products shipped from the EU.
Many European postal services say they are pausing deliveries now because they cannot guarantee the goods will enter the U.S. before Aug. 29. They cite ambiguity about what kind of goods are covered by the new rules, and the lack of time to process their implications.
Starting Saturday, Deutsche Post and DHL Parcel Germany said they “will no longer be able to accept and transport parcels and postal items containing goods from business customers destined for the US.”
Postnord, the Nordic logistics