EU report: Majority of seized illegal goods come from China

Brussels (dpa) – Most of the illegal products intercepted by EU member states during customs checks originate from China, a report by the European Commission found on Thursday.

The number of rejected items from China rose sharply in 2024, increasing by nearly 180 percent compared to 2022, to a total of 48,139.

The country with the second-highest number of rejections was the United States (3,247) followed by the United Kingdom (2,120).

Thursday’s report noted that the rejected items primarily included health products, as well as household goods and electronics.

Customs authorities in EU member states check whether imported products comply with EU regulations on safety and environmental standards. Suspicious products are initially stopped for inspection.

More than 80 percent of the products flagged for potential violations of EU rules originated from China, an EU official explained.

Call for more rigorous inspections

According to the report, authorities intervened nearly 400,000 times last year, conducting document checks, physical inspections, or laboratory tests.

Of the products inspected, 36 percent were immediately cleared for the EU market.

After further examination, 16 percent — nearly 65,000 items — were ultimately rejected.

The report emphasized that EU countries need to strengthen their inspections. Only 0.0082 percent of all imported products were checked by customs authorities – equivalent to 82 items per million allowed into free circulation.

Additionally, rejection practices vary significantly between member states. (28 August)