EU Competition Council tackles fake products

The European Commission has welcomed a resolution from the European Union's Competitiveness Council for more effective ways of combating counterfeiting and copyright piracy. The Internal Market Commissioner, Charlie McCreevy, said: "we have to stamp out counterfeiting. It is harming our innovative industries, our economic growth and job creation." He added that "former cocaine and other illegal drug dealing gangs are now turning to peddling counterfeit pharmaceuticals because there is quicker, easier money to be made and more of it. These people do not care about society or about the health and safety of our citizens."

The Council recommended a number of actions to be taken by the Commission, such as the establishment of a counterfeiting and piracy observatory to enable "a regular assessment to be made, on the basis of the data which the public and private sectors wish to provide, of the extent of counterfeiting and piracy and a more precise analysis of these phenomena." Other proposals include an on-line information campaign on the issue, a European awareness day, and specific ideas for the rapid transfer of information about such activities across EU institutions and member states.