According to the European Commission’s annual report on customs enforcement, published on Thursday 17 December, counterfeit goods worth €760 million were seized at the EU’s external borders in 2019, an increase of €20 million compared to 2018.
In total, almost 41 million items that infringed intellectual property rights were seized in 2019, an increase of 53% compared to 2018 (see EUROPE 12332/7).
Cigarettes were the most frequently seized item (21.3%) again in 2019, followed by counterfeit matches (20%), packaging materials (13.6%), toys (9.6%) and clothing (3.9%).
China was once again the main country of origin of counterfeit products that infringe intellectual property rights. Pakistan leads the way in counterfeit matches, while Morocco is the main country of origin for watches and Senegal for clothing.
Counterfeit products for everyday use that are potentially dangerous to the health and safety of consumers, such as food, drinks, personal care items, medicines, household appliances and toys, remain a problem, according to the report, and accounted for 15.6% of the total number of items seized in 2019.
The report can be found at: https://bit.ly/3p1pnkW (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)