EU acts to stem €2 billion flow of fake goods

Member states today (22 July) agreed new measures to stem the flow of counterfeit goods into the EU.

The number of counterfeit articles seized at the EU's external borders has increased tenfold in three years - from 10m in 1998 to 100m in 2001 - and counterfeit items now represent between 5 and 7 percent of international trade.

The market value of counterfeit goods seized on the EU's external borders is estimated at €2 billion per year.

To combat this trend, the new regula...