{
  "version": "1.0",
  "generated_at": "2026-08-04T09:38:43.538Z",
  "count": 4,
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "presscorner__b6b4deb793df",
      "section": "Economy",
      "stage_tag": "Enters into Force",
      "headline": "EU scraps €150 duty-free limit, adds flat €3 fee",
      "summary": "From 1 July, the EU ended the customs exemption for e-commerce parcels under €150 and added a flat €3 charge per item. Some retailers, like Shein, avoid it by shipping in bulk to EU warehouses instead of individual parcels. Full tariff-based duties follow from 2028.",
      "why_it_matters": "This closes a loophole that let cheap imports undercut EU retailers. EU checks found over 60% of examined low-value parcels failed basic safety standards, unnoticed under the old exemption.",
      "next_step": "Now in force.",
      "url": "https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_1491",
      "source_id": "presscorner",
      "procedure_ref": null,
      "related_urls": [
        {
          "url": "https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs/eu-customs-reform_en",
          "label": "EU Customs Reform",
          "mode": "dropdown"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/053e5b4e-f0be-4f20-9a23-3e3b659a6676_en?filename=Customs%20Guidance%20on%20EUR%203%20customs%20duty.pdf",
          "label": "Guidance document for Member States on €3 temporary customs duty",
          "mode": "dropdown"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs/eu-customs-union-facts-and-figures/e-commerce-product-compliance-and-safety_en",
          "label": "E-commerce data main page",
          "mode": "dropdown"
        }
      ],
      "lead_story": true,
      "display_order": 77,
      "package_id": null,
      "document_date": "2026-07-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "published_date": "2026-07-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "date_of_effect": null
    },
    {
      "id": "eurlex-oj-l__18141a7cf3f0",
      "section": "Human Rights",
      "stage_tag": "Enters into Force",
      "headline": "EU fingerprint-sharing with Switzerland, Liechtenstein begins",
      "summary": "On 1 July, EU countries began sharing fingerprint data with Switzerland and Liechtenstein under the Prüm system, the EU's framework for police to swap crime-scene evidence like fingerprints and DNA across borders. The Council approved this step on 25 June.",
      "why_it_matters": "This lets police in EU countries and these two neighbours share fingerprints faster when investigating cross-border crime. Switzerland and Liechtenstein already follow EU-equivalent data protection rules, so people's privacy safeguards stay in place.",
      "next_step": "Now in force.",
      "url": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1459/oj",
      "source_id": "eurlex-oj-l",
      "procedure_ref": null,
      "related_urls": [
        {
          "url": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2022/2537/oj",
          "label": "Legal base",
          "mode": "context"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2022/2536/oj",
          "label": "Legal base",
          "mode": "context"
        }
      ],
      "lead_story": false,
      "display_order": 78,
      "package_id": null,
      "document_date": "2026-07-01T10:00:00.000Z",
      "published_date": "2026-07-01T10:00:00.000Z",
      "date_of_effect": "2026-07-01"
    },
    {
      "id": "oeil-new-procedures__91a7bc1c14d9",
      "section": "International",
      "stage_tag": "EP Initiative",
      "headline": "Parliament to hold urgent Sudan war crimes debate",
      "summary": "The European Parliament registered an urgent Rule 150 procedure on 1 July over war crimes and worsening conditions in El-Obeid, Sudan, where the UN says around 500,000 civilians face grave risk as forces besiege the city. A debate follows on 8 July.",
      "why_it_matters": "Thousands are already trapped in El-Obeid, cut off from basic services. Rule 150 urgent debates are reserved for the EU's most pressing human rights emergencies and often lead to a formal resolution.",
      "next_step": "Debate scheduled in Parliament.",
      "url": "https://oeil.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/en/procedure-file?reference=2026/2799(RSP)",
      "source_id": "oeil-new-procedures",
      "procedure_ref": "2026/2799(RSP)",
      "related_urls": [],
      "lead_story": false,
      "display_order": null,
      "package_id": null,
      "document_date": "2026-07-01T22:00:00.000Z",
      "published_date": "2026-07-01T22:00:00.000Z",
      "date_of_effect": null
    },
    {
      "id": "eurlex-oj-l__40acb9cc0ba5",
      "section": "Technology & Science",
      "stage_tag": "Adopted",
      "headline": "Commission launches EU cybersecurity skills consortium",
      "summary": "The European Commission and five founding member states, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Croatia and Slovenia, set up this consortium on 30 June to coordinate cybersecurity training and skills programmes. Based in Athens, it received an initial €3.1 million under the EU's Digital Europe funding programme.",
      "why_it_matters": "Europe faces a shortage of nearly 300,000 cybersecurity workers, leaving businesses and infrastructure exposed to attacks. This consortium pools EU and national funding to train more people for these unfilled, critical jobs.",
      "next_step": "Now in force.",
      "url": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2026/1416/oj",
      "source_id": "eurlex-oj-l",
      "procedure_ref": null,
      "related_urls": [
        {
          "url": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2022/2481/oj",
          "label": "Legal base",
          "mode": "context"
        }
      ],
      "lead_story": false,
      "display_order": null,
      "package_id": null,
      "document_date": "2026-07-01T10:00:00.000Z",
      "published_date": "2026-07-01T10:00:00.000Z",
      "date_of_effect": "2026-07-01"
    }
  ],
  "upcoming": []
}