Press release no 19/2025
PDF version
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) co-organised a two-day conference in Alicante, Spain to discuss current and emerging trends in intellectual property (IP) crime related to the sector of Fast-Moving-Consumer-Goods (FMCG). The event took place from 1-2 July and brought together more than 50 participants, including customs officers, police, market surveillance authorities, EU and international bodies and representatives from the industry.
The so-called Fast-Moving-Consumer-Goods (FMCG) include everyday items such as personal care and home care items, packaged food, snacks, soft drinks and household batteries. These items are often targeted by fraudsters due to high consumer demand, short shelf lives and high turnover that reaches hundreds of billions every year.
The economic scale of this sector makes it a lucrative target for counterfeit products, which are increasingly making their way into people’s homes. However, counterfeit goods not only harm legitimate businesses but can also pose serious risks to consumer health and safety as they oftentimes fail to comply with the European standards and regulations. The infiltration of fake products leads to significant economic damage – undermining fair competition, causing loss of revenue for legitimate producers, which ultimately results in job losses across affected industries.
To address this growing threat, OLAF and EUIPO co-hosted a two-day conference titled “The Counterfeit Closed: Uncovering Fake Products in Your Home and on Your Shelf”, held at the EUIPO premises in Alicante, Spain. The aim was to share information and best practices, discuss enforcement tools as well as practical insights on how to improve detection and strengthen cooperation to protect consumers and business from fake products. For more information, see the EUIPO news item.
“This conference is yet another concrete step in reinforcing EU’s fight against fraud involving intellectual property,” said OLAF Director-General Ville Itälä. “By working together across borders and sectors, we are better equipped to stop counterfeit goods at the source and protect European consumers, industry and markets.”
Background
The conference is part of an ongoing cooperation between OLAF and EUIPO, under a service-level agreement launched in 2022. Together, the two institutions organise major knowledge-sharing events each year, focused on strengthening enforcement against intellectual property crimes.
Read the news item issued by the EUIPO
OLAF mission, mandate and competences:
OLAF’s mission is to detect, investigate and stop fraud with EU funds.
OLAF fulfils its mission by:
• carrying out independent investigations into fraud and corruption involving EU funds, so as to ensure that all EU taxpayers’ money reaches projects that can create jobs and growth in Europe;
• contributing to strengthening citizens’ trust in the EU Institutions by investigating serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU Institutions;
• developing a sound EU anti-fraud policy.
In its independent investigative function, OLAF can investigate matters relating to fraud, corruption and other offences affecting the EU financial interests concerning:
• all EU expenditure: the main spending categories are Structural Funds, agricultural policy and rural development funds, direct expenditure and external aid;
• some areas of EU revenue, mainly customs duties;
• suspicions of serious misconduct by EU staff and members of the EU institutions.
Once OLAF has completed its investigation, it is for the competent EU and national authorities to examine and decide on the follow-up of OLAF’s recommendations. All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a competent national or EU court of law.
For further details:
Pierluigi CATERINO
Spokesperson
European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
Phone: +32(0)2 29-52335
Email: olaf-media
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (olaf-media[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
https://anti-fraud.ec.europa.eu
LinkedIn: European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)
X: x.com/EUAntiFraud
Bluesky: euantifraud.bsky.social
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