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Highlights

A large warehouse filled with tightly packed stacks of cardboard boxes on pallets, suggesting a high volume of small parcels awaiting storage or distribution.
  • 1 July 2026
EU introduces €3 customs duty on low-value parcels

EU introduces €3 customs duty on low-value parcels

On 1 July 2026, the EU introduced a €3 customs duty on low-value parcels imported from outside the EU, ending the long-standing exemption that allowed consignments valued at under €150 to be imported duty-free. The duty is calculated per category of goods, not per parcel, and will remain in place until standard EU tariffs apply.

Portrait of Alexei Navalny.
  • 3 July 2026
©AFP
Navalny's death: EU adopts new sanctions

Navalny's death: EU adopts new sanctions

Picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel showing destroyed buildings in a Lebanese village along the Israel-Lebanon border, on 1 July 2026.
  • 2 July 2026
©AFP
EU welcomes the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel

EU welcomes the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel

A simple pastel-coloured paper windmill on a stick, illustrated against a pale background.
  • 2 July 2026
Council backs interim rules against child sexual abuse online

Council backs interim rules against child sexual abuse online

The logo of the Irish presidency.
  • 1 July 2026
  • Presidency news
Ireland takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union

Ireland takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union

Press releases

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In focus

A person uses a handheld barcode scanner on a shelf of cardboard boxes in a warehouse, with stylised circuit lines in the background.
Modernising the EU customs union

Modernising the EU customs union

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The Council presidency explained

The Council presidency explained

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EU-NATO cooperation

EU-NATO cooperation

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The Council presidency

The member states take it in turn to chair Council meetings for six months. Ireland currently holds the Council presidency and will do so until 31 December 2026.

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About the Council

The Council refers to two different EU institutions: the European Council, and the Council of the EU. They have very different roles and membership, although they have similar names and share the same staff.

The European Council

The European Council consists of the heads of state or government of the EU's member states, together with its President and the European Commission President. It defines the EU's general political directions and priorities.

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The Council of the EU

The Council of the EU represents the member states' governments. Informally also known as the EU Council, it is where national ministers from each EU country meet to adopt laws and coordinate policies.