OTTAWA — Canada Post has announced a temporary suspension of mail and parcel services to a dozen European Union countries. The decision comes in response to strict new customs regulations implemented by the EU targetting low-value international shipments. The postal service stated that it will stop accepting deliveries destined for these specific nations until further notice.
The service disruption directly affects shipments heading to Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Spain. Canada Post confirmed that while it halts services to these twelve countries, it will continue to accept and process shipments to all other EU destinations.
The suspension is tied to a new EU policy that introduces a three-euro customs duty on parcels imported from outside the trading bloc valued up to 150 euros (approximately $240 CAD). European Union authorities introduced the measure to crack down on tax evasion, noting that many overseas packages are frequently undervalued or falsely declared to dodge import duties.
According to the EU, the previous exemptions gave non-EU online sellers an “unfair advantage” over domestic businesses that manufacture and sell products within member states. Canada Post has reassured customers that it is actively working to develop compliant technological and logistics solutions to resume normal operations in the affected European markets as quickly as possible.
