26.10.2026 Analytics #EU #Import #Statistics #E-commerce

EU counterfeit seizures hit record 196 million items in 2025

The European Commission and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) published a joint report on 22 October 2026: in 2025, customs, market surveillance authorities and police in the EU intercepted more than 196 million counterfeit items with an estimated value of €6.3 billion (DG TAXUD). It is the highest number of counterfeit detentions ever recorded by EU enforcement authorities.

Scale and comparison with earlier years

The volume is 67% higher than in 2024 and 29% above the previous record set in 2023 (DG TAXUD). A year earlier the figures were 112 million items worth €3.8 billion (DG TAXUD, 2024).

At the external border, customs alone detained about 42 million items worth almost €2 billion, a new record high (DG TAXUD). In 2024, the border figures were about 20 million items and €1.5 billion (DG TAXUD, 2024).

What was detained

By number of articles, the top categories were recorded CDs/DVDs (29.30%), toys (19.65%), labels, tags and stickers (12.82%), cigarettes (6.19%), games (3.88%) and clothing (2.62%) (DG TAXUD). In 2024, CDs/DVDs accounted for 34.84%, toys for 17.89% and clothing for 7.50% (DG TAXUD, 2024).

Among goods detained at the border, trademarks were the most frequently infringed rights, followed by designs. "Labels" and "packaging material" remained prominent among detained goods: they falsely suggest that counterfeits are produced or assembled in the EU, a way of circumventing detention at the border (DG TAXUD).

Where and how goods are intercepted at the EU border

In 2025, customs authorities of seven Member States generated 90% of the volume and value of goods detained at the external border: by volume, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium. In 2024, authorities of seven Member States (all enforcement bodies) accounted for 90% of the volume: Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Poland (2025, 2024).
90% of the estimated value detained at the border came from Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Greece and Poland (DG TAXUD).
The most prominent places of provenance were mainland China, Hong Kong and Türkiye.
Sea cargo remained the primary mode of transport by value, but road transport surpassed it for the first time by number of articles.

What this means for importers and e-commerce sellers

Most detention cases by customs involved express courier and postal consignments, typically related to e-commerce (DG TAXUD). The Commission notes that growing e-commerce volumes, fragmented supply chains and diverse transport methods make counterfeits harder to identify and intercept. The report highlights the importance of strengthening enforcement action, both to keep citizens safe from potentially dangerous products and to protect domestic industry from theft of intellectual property (DG TAXUD).

Customs reform and the EU Customs Data Hub

The Commission links the response to the recently adopted Customs Reform, which introduces an EU Customs Authority to develop and manage a data-driven, AI-powered EU Customs Data Hub that will track supply chains in real time and identify high-risk shipments faster (DG TAXUD). Background data on customs enforcement of intellectual property rights is collected on the IPR: Facts and Figures page.

Primary sources

This material is for information only and does not constitute legal advice or customs consulting. Verify changes against the primary sources before acting.