The global customs landscape saw major shifts this week dominated by sweeping new US global tariffs under Section 301, the chaotic aftermath of the EU’s newly ended de minimis exemption, and a surge in multinational anti-smuggling crackdowns.
On July 23, 2026, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) shook global markets by replacing its temporary Section 122 duties with a permanent Section 301 framework imposing new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% targeting 60 countries.
- The Scope: These new tariffs now cover 99% of all US goods imports.
- The Justification: Washington cited a lack of effective controls or prohibitions on forced labor within the targeted nations.
- The Scale: Low-tier countries face a 10% rate, while a 12.5% tariff hits nations like China and Vietnam. Lawsuits against the action have already been filed by importers, and an additional 50% tariff on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports is scheduled for August 19, 2026.
- De Minimis Crackdown: Concurrently, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enacted an interim final rule on July 24, 2026, codifying the suspension of de minimis exemptions for international mail shipments
Europe’s consumer federation and a leading EU lawmaker are pressing the European Commission to ensure that consumers do not face unexpected charges for online purchases to cover a new customs duty.
On July 1, the EU introduced a €3 ($3.41) fee on low-value e-commerce imports that had previously entered the bloc duty-free.
BEUC, the umbrella group for consumer organisations from 31 European countries, says consumers must know the total price, including duties. The group said it found that duties are sometimes only shown late in the checkout process or not shown at all, leading to a possible unanticipated surcharge.
European postal providers, such as PostNL and La Poste, say the end-recipient may face payment requests before delivery.
Dirk Gotink, the Dutch lawmaker who oversaw the customs file in the European Parliament, wrote to EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic in a letter dated July 7, seen by Reuters, to complain about this practice, stressing payments should be the responsibility of platforms.
“Consumers should not receive unexpected charges upon delivery or as a pre-condition for delivery,” Gotink said.
In some cases, postal operators also add on substantial administration fees, said BEUC, which plans to canvas consumers in the coming months to get a full picture.
A European Commission spokesperson said businesses were legally responsible for customs and the duties should not be collected from consumers. It added it was monitoring the situation.
Chinese e-commerce platforms Temu and AliExpress do include customs duties at check-out, in the case of AliExpress what it calls an estimate. Shein does not, but it said it pays all applicable duties and prices factor this in. Some Shein deliveries are from EU warehouses, which are not subject to duties.
The duty is designed in part to curb what the EU calls unfair competition from online retailers and a surge in the number of of e-commerce parcels to 5.8 billion in 2025.
Ecommerce shipments coming in under the 150 euro duty-free limit has surged to 5.8 billion, raising alarm about lost customs revenue and unsafe products.
Dutch aviation consulting company Rotate says direct China to Europe freighter capacity fell 18% in the 48 hours after the duties came into effect, but that moderated to a 14% drop in the first full week. Belgium and Hungary, both large entry points for e-commerce imports, experienced steeper declines, while capacity into London Stansted airport in non-EU member Britain rose 25%.
Source:Reuters
A new Trade Policy Activity (TPA) index by WTO and IMF economists shows a marked rise in trade policy activity during 2025-26, alongside heightened trade policy tensions among large economies, against the backdrop of an overall upward trend.
The index shows that facilitating measures – those that ease trade by reducing barriers or improving customs procedures – have lost relative momentum in recent years (with an exception during the Strait of Hormuz crisis, where they represent over two-thirds of all measures taken) while other trade measures, including restrictive ones, have pulled ahead, with the 2025 surge extending well beyond the largest economies. Understanding these shifts is increasingly important, as trade policy plays a growing role in shaping global supply chains, economic resilience and geopolitical dynamics.
Read more: Here
Source:IMF
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