.png)
In 2009, customs officials stopped 118 million articles suspected of being fake as smugglers attempted to pass them across EU borders, according to a European Commission report published last week.
The majority of goods stopped were luxury items such as cigarettes (19 percent) and brand labels (13 percent), daily use items like shampoo, toothpaste, toys, medicines and household appliances were also trafficked, according to the "EU Customs Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)" report.
The report found that 64 percent of the fake products originated in China. The EU says it wants to extend an agreement signed in 2009 with to increase cooperation in customs enforcement.
The commissioner for taxation, customs, anti-fraud and audit, Algirdas Semeta will personally discuss the topic when he visits Shanghai in September. The commission also plans to write a new proposal by the end of the year to improve its handling of intellectual property rights.
