EU/US : STEPPING UP EFFORTS TO FIGHT PIRACY AND COUNTERFEITING.

Eight months on from the launch of an ambitious transatlantic strategy to tackle counterfeiting, US and EU experts met on 1 February in Geneva, together with representatives of industry, to take stock of the situation and prepare ways of further strengthening their cooperation in the future. "Effective enforcement of intellectual property rights is crucial for our industry and to protect Europe's citizens. Today's meeting has clearly shown that we are making real progress," declared Gunter Verheugen, the European Commissioner for Industry.

Among the actions being carried out in recent months are joint examinations of shipments in air, sea and mail environments, close consultations by diplomats at ambassador level in Moscow and Beijing, and technical assistance to South American, Asian and Eastern European countries and SMEs. The EU and the United States have also carried...