RECORD SEIZURES

With more than 20 million counterfeit items withdrawn from the market, the year 2023 breaks all records and reveals the scale of the phenomenon, which is a lasting part of the national and European economic system. These results also demonstrate the effectiveness of the customs services involved and confirm the upward trend observed since 2020 (+263.38% over 4 years), customs having intercepted more than 9 million counterfeits in 2021, more than 11 million in 2022 and more than 20 million in 2023 (excluding tobacco) on the national territory (+77.61% compared to 2022).

All goods combined, seizures of counterfeits made in 2023 represent an estimated value of more than 1 billion euros.

THE SECTORS MOST AFFECTED BY COUNTERFEITING

The games, toys and sporting goods sector remains the most affected by counterfeiting (more than 40% of the total items seized), with more than 8.5 million items withdrawn from the market (+48.65% compared to 2022).

Next come counterfeit packaging items, the number of which exploded in 2023 (+423.38%), exceeding 4.7 million items withdrawn from the market. Among the other sectors affected by counterfeiting, personal care products (6.50% of items seized), clothing and accessories (5.71%) and food and beverages (5.62%) total a total of nearly 3.7 million items removed from the market.

[source : douane.gouv.fr]

REINFORCED MEANS

In a very evolving criminal context, customs, the reference administration for borders and goods, has seen its intervention capabilities strengthened and its methods of action modernized.

The law of July 18, 2023, thus updated the Customs Code, which had remained unchanged for more than 50 years.

See the annual report 2023