Romania loses EUR 1.64 billion every year due to counterfeiting in 13 key economic sectors, according to a report of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

The research reveals that, due to counterfeiting, the 13 sectors lose 22.5% of their direct sales annually in Romania, three times more than the EU average of 7.5%. The 13 sectors studied are cosmetics and personal care; clothing, footwear and accessories; sports goods; toys and games; jewellery and watches; handbags and luggage; recorded music; spirits and wine; pharmaceuticals; pesticides; smartphones; batteries; tyres.

The top five sectors in Romania that reported sales losses to due fake products in the marketplace are the pharmaceutical industry - EUR 976 million (32.1%), clothing, footwear and accessories – EUR 161 million (13.6%), the smartphone market – EUR 128 million (19.1%), cosmetics & personal care – EUR 94 million (17.7%) and the spirits and wine sector – EUR 75 million (20%).

At EU level, nearly EUR 60 billion is lost each year due to counterfeiting in the 13 economic sectors. The biggest losses were registered in the clothing, footwear and accessories sector – EUR 23.2 billion, pharmaceuticals – EUR 15.9 billion, cosmetics & personal care – EUR 5.8 billion, smartphones – EUR 4.2 billion, and spirits & wine – EUR 2.7 billion.

The full report is available here.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com