European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the Global Anti-Counterfeit Summit in Brussels that 80 per cent of the counterfeit goods intercepted en route to the European Union were made in China.
EU customs seized around 128 million counterfeit and pirated goods in 2006, an increase of 70 per cent from 2005. "Unless we successfully engage China, then everything else we do is a mere side-show," Barroso said.
The EU Commission recently agreed to develop a joint action plan with
the Chinese customs authorities. "To deepen the co-operation with
China, and pursue work done in the context of our dialogue on a
day-to-day basis", the EU appointed an intellectual property expert to
its Delegation in Beijing.
According to OECD estimates, the global trade in counterfeit goods is worth around USD200 bn – higher than the GDP of more than 150 countries. And the range of fake goods has increased significantly, ranging from fake toys, foodstuffs and medicines to fake electrical appliances and even fake aircraft parts.
Barroso added that: "Also high up on the list is the United Arab Emirates, because so much traffic passes through the ports there, often to hide the true origin of the fake goods. We also identified problems in Russia, the Ukraine and Turkey, as well as in South America and South-East Asia."
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