Counterfeit goods worth €1 billion were seized by European Union custom officials in 2003, according Commission figures released today.
Customs officers seized almost 100 million fake items ranging from compact discs to computer equipment and jewellery - up 15 million on 2002.
About 60 per cent of the intercepted goods came from China, by far the biggest centre for counterfeiting, followed by Hong Kong with 6 per cent and Malaysia with 3 per cent.
EU data showed a massive jump in the counterfeiting of children's toys, up 996 per cent from 2002.
"Counterfeiting and piracy increasingly involve children's toys, medicines and food products and this constitutes a real danger to consumers," said EU Taxation and Customs Commissioner Mr Laszlo Kovacs.
He called for further co-operation between member state's customs authorities in the fight against fake imports.
The EU is trying to raise awareness about the problem in the countries which produce counterfeit goods.
It has signed an agreement with China on customs co-operation and is organising training courses for customs authorities in other countries.