Brussels, 23 September 2016
Customs authorities across the
EU seized an estimated five million more counterfeit items in 2015 than the
previous year, according to new figures released today by the European
Commission.
This means that the number of
intercepted goods grew by 15% compared to 2014. More than 40 million products
suspected of violating an intellectual property right were detained at the EU's
external borders, with a value of nearly €650 million.
Today's report, based on
the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the EU [see here] also provides figures on the categories of
goods detained, on their countries of origin, on the intellectual property
rights involved and on the modes of transport used to ship such
goods.
Pierre Moscovici, Commissioner
for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, said: "I’ve
witnessed first-hand the excellent work of customs officials across the EU in
dealing with counterfeit and sometimes dangerous goods.But the criminal activity
which swamps our internal market with fake and illegal products shows no sign
of abating. The Commission will continue to work with customs authorities,
international partners and industry to ensure a high level of protection for
intellectual property rights in the EU."
Cigarettes remain the top
category (27%) of articles detained, while everyday products
which could be dangerous to the health and safety of consumers such as food and
beverages, toiletries, medicines, toys and household electrical goods account
jointly for 25.8% of the total. Once again, China was the main
originating country for counterfeit goods (41%), followed by Montenegro,
Hong Kong, Malaysia and Benin.
Benin was
the originating country of a large amount of
foodstuff, while Mexico was the top source for counterfeit alcoholic
beverages and Morocco for other beverages. Malaysia was in the lead
for toiletries, Turkey for clothing, Hong Kong for counterfeit mobile
phones and accessories, memory cards, computer equipment, CDs and DVDs and
lighters. Montenegro was the biggest originator of counterfeit cigarettes,
while India topped the list for medicines. In more
than 91% of detentions, goods were either destroyed or a court case
was initiated to determine an infringement in cooperation with the
right-holder of the brand which is being infringed.
The Commission's report on
customs actions to enforce IPR has been issued annually since 2000 and
is based on data transmitted by Member States' customs administrations to
the Commission. Such data also provides valuable information to support
IPR infringements analysis by the OECD.
The Customs Union
The Customs Union is unique in
the world. It is a cornerstone of the European Union and essential for the
proper functioning of the Single Market. Once cleared by Customs in one Member
State, goods can move freely within the Union on the basis that all Member
States apply the same revenue and protection rules at external borders.
The 28 customs administrations
of the EU must act as though they were one entity, while also facilitating
trade and protecting the health and safety of all EU citizens. These are not
easy tasks. The EU is one of the largest trading blocks in the world. In 2015,
the EU accounted for almost 15% of world trade in goods, worth €3.5 trillion.
Managing this volume of international trade requires handling millions of
customs declarations per year in a fast and efficient manner.
New customs rules
In June 2013, new rules on IPR enforcement at customs were
adopted (see MEMO/11/332 and MEMO/13/527). This Regulation has
been applicable across the EU since 1 January 2015
and strengthens the rules to protect
intellectual property.
For the full report, see:
Report on EU customs enforcement of intellectual
property rights: results at the EU border 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment