EU seized record amount of counterfeit goods last year

In 2025, a record amount of counterfeit goods was seized on the European Union market, with a total estimated value of 6.3 billion euros, the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) announced today.

In the annual report compiled by the EUIPO and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs, it is stated that a total of 196 million items of counterfeit goods were seized.

Almost 75 percent of the seized goods were compact discs, toys, labels, hang tags and stickers, cigarettes including electronic ones, games, and clothing, according to the report.

It is added that four EU member states were responsible for as much as 90 percent of the seizures, with Spain ranking first and Germany second in terms of the financial value of goods seized at the EU’s external borders.

For seizures of goods that had already entered the EU internal market, France is the undisputed leader with 70 percent of all seizures on the internal market.

The most important countries of origin for counterfeit goods are China, with 41 percent, Turkey with 18 percent, and Hong Kong with six percent.

The goods were mainly transported by ship or road, somewhat less by courier services, mail, or online orders, and least by air.

The report was compiled based on police and customs data and market surveillance.

The value of the seized goods exceeded the record from 2024, when counterfeit goods with a total value of 3.9 billion euros were removed from the market.

It is pointed out, however, that the report does not allow conclusions to be drawn about how much counterfeit goods still reached consumers or about the total volume of trade in such goods.

The EUIPO headquarters is located in Alicante, Spain.