Increase of 77%

Record number of counterfeit goods seized in the EU

According to the report, the majority of goods were not detained at the EU's external borders last year, but were discovered on the internal market.

(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

Customs officials seized a record number of counterfeit products in the EU internal market in 2023. Counterfeit games, CDs and DVDs are very popular.

"2023 is a record year for the EU internal market, reaching by far the highest levels of the past twelve years", according to a joint report by the European Commission and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

In total, more than 152 million articles were seized at the EU's external borders and in the internal market last year. This corresponds to an increase of 77 percent compared to the previous year (86 million articles). The value of the counterfeit products detected rose by 68% to around 3.4 billion euros (2022: 2.0 billion euros).

(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

Labels are attached later
As in the previous year, counterfeit games were confiscated particularly frequently. Toys, CDs and DVDs followed in second and third place, according to the report. Packaging material and labels were also frequently confiscated. This shows that products are increasingly being labeled within the EU, the authorities reported. The aim was to prevent goods from being detected as counterfeits at the border.

According to the information, the majority of goods were not confiscated at the EU's external borders last year, but were discovered on the internal market. As a result, 138 million items were confiscated within the EU. The authority also attributes the significant increase to online trade. The majority of counterfeits are now sent by post.

More than half of the products come from China
At the external borders, however, the number of confiscated goods has fallen, it said. According to the report, more than half of these products come from China (56%), followed by other Asian countries. The EU Commission warned that counterfeit products could be dangerous for consumers. The products could be harmful to health or unsafe.