EU report on counterfeiting

According to a report from the Brussels executive services appointed to tax regulations and the unification activities of the European Union's customs, Italian fashion products are among the most counterfeited.

Between 1998 and 2001, the number of articles with counterfeit brand names confiscated by EU customs increased from 10 to over 100 million a year. And the figures for the first quarter of 2003 show an even higher increase.

In 2001, Armani perfumes and cosmetics were the second most counterfeited in Europe (11% of the sector), after Chanel products and before Dior. Gucci bags and eyewear are the third most copied. Taking first place is Louis Vuitton.

This illegal industry yields 250 billion euros a year (5-7% of world sales) and, according to the Commission, it has wiped out 200 thousand jobs in Europe. The report for 2001 from the EU customs services, surprisingly places Thailand at the top of the list of the countries of origin or provenance of counterfeit products, with 23% of the confiscated goods, mainly sportswear, ready-to-wear and costume jewelry.

The People's Republic of China is in second place (18% of confiscated items, in particular toys, bags and eyewear) followed by Turkey, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic and Taiwan. The United States is the only industrial country on the list: in seventh place for the export of fakes to the EU (also thanks to transit ports from Latin America), the first for counterfeits to Greece, second to Spain, and the first for costume jewelry to Italy, ahead of China and Ukraine.

However, Italian customs stopped only 6% of the illegal goods coming into the EU. The hardest hit are France (22%), Spain (11%) and Germany (15%).

The big exporters of counterfeit products to Italy are the Chinese (26%), followed by the Thais (19%) and the Bulgarians, who are 'specializing' in counterfeiting sportswear.

(Source: Il Corriere della Sera)