Counterfeits: MEPs visit customs

Exploiting the value of Europe's intellectual property is part of the 2020 growth strategy but counterfeit products undermine it. In 2011, customs officers seized 114 million articles with an equivalent value of €1.2 billion. For the customs officers at ports like Antwerp, it means being wary of every ship that arrives. As far as counterfeiting is concerned, countries like China are still a target, but now also increasingly Africa and Russia. We found that China is making a big effort to protect its own products. Smuggling is on the increase: the number of detected copyright infringements more than doubled to 91,000 between 2009 and 2011. MEPs want to stamp it out but know it'll be increasingly difficult in the current climate. A negative consequence of the economic and financial crisis is the increase in smuggling: trafficking, drugs, cigarettes, etc., and therefore we need to improve our control systems. The fakes look real and they're cheaper but some, like medicines and toiletries, can be dangerous. This child's motorcycle, made in China, overheats. It's important to catch fakes as they arrive. It's why MEPs visited Rotterdam and Antwerp, which between them handle more than 620 million tonnes of freight a year, mostly in containers. You can't check them all. Risk analysis and knowledge of the logistics flow is very important to make effective control possible and to prevent fraud. MEPs want to give customs officers the tools they need to strengthen enforcement and improve legal clarity to make their work more effective.

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