EU report: Increase in small parcels but decrease in number of fake goods
The number of parcels seized by EU customs containing fake goods increased in 2018, while the total number of counterfeits inside the parcels decreased compared to previous years.
In a new report, published yesterday, September 19, the European Commission said the number of seized parcels jumped from 57,433 in 2017 to 69,354 in 2018 due to an increase in the use of smaller parcels to ship counterfeits.
In these parcels, customs found almost 27 million fake items, with a combined value of €740 million.
The report found China as the main source country (50%) from which the suspected fake goods arrived. Bosnia and Herzegovina was the second most prominent source country, with most parcels from here containing packaging materials.
As in 2017, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Georgia, Turkey and Vietnam were in the top seven source countries for fake goods.
Of all the fake goods that were seized, 15% were cigarettes. The majority of these came from Cambodia, while Turkey was the top source for perfumes and cosmetics
The report also found that the majority of small packages contained goods that had been bought online.
Pierre Moscovici, EU commissioner for economic and financial affairs, taxation and customs said that customs authorities’ jobs have been made much more difficult by the rise in small packages entering the EU through online sales.
“Protecting the integrity of our customs union, and effective enforcement of intellectual property rights in the international supply chain are priorities. We need to continue stepping up the efforts against counterfeiting and piracy,” he said.
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