The joint annual report of Europol and the European Intellectual Property Office (europol.europa.eu, March 2022) confirms an increasing import of packaging materials and semi-finished products in the European Union (EU) . The authors of the report conclude that there are illegal manufacturing facilities within the EU itself. In this regard, it is clarified that production sites of counterfeit goods have been discovered in many EU Member States.
The authors also add that counterfeiters rely heavily on digital for sourcing and distribution.
The sectors usually targeted by counterfeiting remain in the crosshairs of counterfeiters: luxury goods, perfumes and cosmetics, food and beverages, toys. The COVID pandemic still seems to provide opportunities for counterfeiters in the pharmaceutical and electronics fields (due to component shortages).
