EU, U.S., Chinese officials discuss detection of counterfeit products

EU, U.S., Chinese officials discuss detection of counterfeit products    Counterfeiting experts from the customs administrations of European Union, the United States, China and Turkey will discuss this week techniques to combat counterfeiting and piracy during a seminar of the European Commission and the Hungarian customs administration held in Budapest, Hungary. Business representatives will also attend the meeting.
   The objective of the meeting is to exchange “information on the latest trends and techniques used by fraudsters,” the EC said.
   On Wednesday, seminar participants will visit Budapest harbor, Budapest international airport, the Hungarian customs postal center in Budapest or a Hungarian land border, and “undertake operational controls.” They will work with customs risk analysis specialists at different Hungarian frontier points.
   The aim of these visits is to allow participants to study customs techniques used to identify fraudulent goods, particularly counterfeit and pirated goods, as well as to examine consignments selected for opening on the basis of the selection techniques.
   “The growing threat of counterfeiting, which not only harms our economies but also increasingly endangers the health and safety of European consumers, requires a very concrete and practical response by the EU,” said European taxation and customs commissioner L'szl' Kov'cs.
   The EC cited studies from 1998 and 1999 suggesting that counterfeiting accounted for 5 to 7 percent of world trade. With the increase in recent years of counterfeit medicines, surgical equipment, toys, food and drink, this activity is presenting a growing health and safety risk for EU consumers, according to the EC.