Greek customs have confiscated the highest number of counterfeit goods among EU countries over the past year, according to the annual report issued on Thursday by the European Commission on customs actions to enforce intellectual property rights at the EU’s external borders.
The amount of fake or pirate goods seized by Greek customs jumped sharply from 3.6 million in 2008 to 21.9 million in 2009.
After Greece, the largest number of counterfeit goods seized was in the Netherlands (17.9 million items), Italy (12.9 million items) and Bulgaria (11.3 million items).
The report shows that the main categories of goods seized for violating intellectual property rights included cigarettes, clothes and designer label goods.
There was also a significant rise in the number of counterfeit goods bought for daily consumption, such as shampoos, toothpastes, toys, medication and household appliances, with the accompanying higher risks to health.
China continues to be a major source of counterfeit products, producing 64 per cent of these, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in specific classes of goods.