McCreevy: Fake goods threaten EU economy

COUNTERFEITING is becoming a serious threat to people’s health and safety and to the economic future of the European Union, Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy has warned.

Mr McCreevy ruled out more legislation to tackle a problem which costs Europe thousands of jobs and billions of euro in lost tax and revenue but did call on industry to co-operate better with the relevant authorities.

A conference on counterfeiting and piracy heard yesterday that fake medicines are one of the fastest growing areas for counterfeiters with seizures by customs growing threefold last year.

The conference, held in Brussels, also heard that while a growing number of people are ordering medicines on line, some counterfeit medication was also entering the normal supply chain and ending up in pharmacies and hospitals.

Jim Thomson of the European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines said the Irish regulators were particularly active and successful at preventing counterfeit medicines getting to patients.

The conference also heard that the range of counterfeit goods worldwide was growing all the time with production now at industrial levels. Most counterfeit goods allegedly come from China, Russia, Brazil and Ukraine.

It was suggested that these goods threaten the EU’s industrial base and consumers, increasingly exposed to fake products.

The products range from semiconductors used in everything from hospital equipment and mobile phones to vehicle breaking systems, to pesticides, cigarettes, toys, toiletries and alcohol.

“We must work towards finding solutions to this modern day highway robbery taking place all around us. It is becoming a very serious threat to the health and safety of our families and to the economic future of the European Union,” said Mr McCreevy.

People must become aware of the dangers to their health and safety as well as the real cost of buying fakes and illegally downloading material from the internet and the fact that criminal networks frequently benefit, he said.

He also suggested the EU must develop a strategy to fight those who are damaging businesses, industry and consumers.

He said the European Commission, the US administration, Japan and Switzerland were already putting together an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with the ultimate aim that every country sign up to the agreement as part of their general trade agreements.

Currently, EU member states cannot agree on legislation to criminalise counterfeiting and so do not expect the ACTA will be ready in time for a raft of current trade deals.