Counterfeiting in the EU - One Minute in the life of the EU Customs

Did you know that every minute 219 counterfeit goods are detained in the EU? Fact is that the value of intercepted goods in 2012 was still extremely high, at nearly €1 billion. The EU Counterfeiting Report 2012 in detail gives statistics on the type, provenance and transport method of counterfeit products detained at the EU's external borders. According to the report, cigarettes accounted for a large number of interceptions (31%), miscellaneous goods (e.g. bottles, lamps, glue, batteries, washing powder) were the next largest category (12%), followed by packaging materials (10%). Postal and courier packages accounted for around 70% of customs interventions in 2012, with 23% of the detentions in postal traffic concerning medicines.