Protecting the euro against counterfeiting – Europol

KEY POINTS

The EU is stepping up cooperation among EU countries and between EU countries and Europol with a view to protecting the euro against counterfeiting at international level. Non-EU countries need a central contact for information on counterfeit euros. All such information is to be brought together for purposes of analysis at Europol, which acts as the Central Office for combating euro counterfeiting pursuant to the Geneva Convention.

Role of Europol

• Europol acts as the Central Office for combating euro counterfeiting within the meaning of Article 12 of the Geneva Convention, which states ‘in every country, within the framework of its domestic law, investigations on the subject of counterfeiting should be organised by a central office.’
• Within the context of its mandate, Europol:
  • centralises and processes all information of a nature to facilitate the investigation, prevention and combating of euro counterfeiting and forwards this information to the national central offices of the EU countries;
  • corresponds directly with the central offices of non-EU countries in accordance with the rules on the transmission of personal data;
  • forwards, in so far as it considers it expedient, to the central offices of non-EU countries a set of specimens of actual euros;
  • regularly notifies the central offices of non-EU countries of new currency issued, the withdrawal of currency from circulation, any discovery of counterfeit or falsified euro currency, details of discoveries of counterfeiting, etc.
• Where counterfeiting of all other currencies is concerned, the national central offices retain competence.

Applying the 1929 Geneva Convention effectively

• The Geneva Convention should be applied more effectively. It lays down effective rules for preventing and combating counterfeiting infringements. The word ‘currency’ refers to banknotes and coins having legal tender.
• The Council considers it expedient that all EU countries should become contracting parties to the Convention.