According to the Commission's annual report on EU Customs enforcement of intellectual property rights published, the number of shipments stopped by customs were from 43,500 in 2009 to almost 80,000 in 2010. Moreover, the report also indicates the value of the goods detained which is estimated at over €1 billion. China continued to be the main source of IPR infringing products.

The Commission's annual report on EU Customs enforcement of IPR confirmed that the number of shipments stopped by customs in 2010 almost doubled compared to 2009. The top categories of articles stopped by customs were cigarettes (34%), office supplies, other tobacco products, labels, tags and emblems, clothing and toys. 14.5% of all detained articles were household products such as shampoos, soaps, medicines or household appliances (hair dryers, shavers, computer parts) which could potentially have health and safety implications for consumers. Also, one of the major trends is the growing number of detentions of postal packages.

The protection of IPR is a key driver for European economy's further growth in areas such as research, innovation and employment, as the EU’s 2020 Strategy underlines. In addition, effective IPR enforcement is also essential as certain counterfeited products (such as foodstuffs, body-care articles and children’s items) which are produced in an unregulated environment can pose a serious threat to the health and safety of EU citizens.

EU Customs play a crucial role in stopping products which violate intellectual property rights from entering the European Internal Market. A number of actions are being carried out by the Commission to strengthen Customs’ ability to combat such trade. The Commission adopted a proposal for a new regulation on customs enforcement of IPR, as part of a comprehensive package of IPR measures on past 24 May.