WRITTEN QUESTION E-2712/03 by Kathleen Van Brempt (PSE) to the Commission. Counterfeit money.
Date: 2003-09-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: economic offence, euro, fraud, paper money

C 65 E/196

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

13.3.2004

The Commission services are aware of isolated media reports of concern over high levels of potentially
carcinogenic substances in the air resulting from burning incense in different settings in Asia. There is no
scientific evidence to suggest a comparable situation in the European Union.

Consequently, the Commission is not currently planning to issue a warning to the public on this matter.

However, if the Honourable Member has any scientific evidence, the Commission will be happy to have it
examined.

(2004/C 65 E/213)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2712/03

by Kathleen Van Brempt (PSE) to the Commission

(11 September 2003)

Subject: Counterfeit money

The introduction of the euro did not result in large amounts of counterfeit money in the first year. This
now seems to have changed.

Can the Commission provide a review of the trend in counterfeit notes and coins since the introduction of
the euro including a detailed breakdown of the figures?

What action is the Commission taking to tackle the counterfeiting of euro notes and coins?

Answer given by Ms Schreyer on behalf of the Commission

(23 October 2003)

The following information is based on particulars provided by the European Central Bank (ECB), Europol
and the Commission.

In 2002 a total of 167 118 counterfeit euro notes and 2 339 counterfeit euro coins were withdrawn from
circulation. The number of notes is equivalent to less than one quarter of the total number of national
counterfeit notes reported to the national central banks in the euro area in 2001.

The tables giving the breakdown of counterfeit notes and coins by denomination in 2002 are being sent
direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat.

In the first half of 2003, 230 534 counterfeit euro notes and 7 875 counterfeit euro coins were withdrawn
from circulation.

As expected, the counterfeiting of euro notes has increased in 2003 compared with 2002, but the situation
has begun to stabilise in recent months. However, since around EUR 8,2 billion authentic notes are in
circulation, the volume of counterfeit notes is very small and there is no risk of public confidence in the
notes in circulation being undermined.

The counterfeiting of euro coins has also increased, as indicated by the high number of counterfeit coins
found to be in circulation in 2003. None the less, the volume of counterfeit coins is very small compared
with the 41 billion authentic coins in circulation and there is no risk of public confidence in euro coins
either being undermined.

The tables giving the breakdown of counterfeit notes and coins by denomination for the first half of 2003
are being sent direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliament’s Secretariat.

Since the introduction of euro notes and coins, twelve illegal printing works have been closed down, ten in
the euro area and two outside. Three illegal workshops equipped to produce counterfeit euro coins have
also been shut down, two in Italy and one in Portugal. In one of the illegal workshops in Italy, more than
70 000 counterfeit 50-cent coins and all the production equipment were seized.

13.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 65 E/197

In all, 1 031 individuals, whether under suspicion or arrested, have been identified as being responsible for
producing and/or distributing counterfeit euro notes.

Protection of euro notes and coins is the responsibility of the competent national authorities, the European
Central Bank, Europol and the Commission.

The Commission exercises its responsibility in three fields:

(cid:1) legislation, where it takes the appropriate initiatives (e.g. Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 (1)) to protect
notes and coins and carries out the appropriate monitoring work. The Commission recently adopted
its second report on the implementation of the Framework Decision of 29 May 2000 on the
protection of the euro by way of criminal penalties;

(cid:1) training and technical assistance via the financing or co-financing of projects for protecting euro notes

and coins under the Pericles programme;

(cid:1) coordination of measures taken by Member States to provide technical protection for coins against
including management of the European Technical and Scientific Centre, which is

counterfeiting,
responsible for analysing counterfeit coins.

In order to carry out its task, the Commission cooperates closely with Member States and with the other
European institutions and has set up several working groups.

(1) Council Regulation (EC) No 1338/2001 of 28 June 2001 laying down measures necessary for the protection of the

euro against counterfeiting, OJ L 181, 4.7.2001.

(2004/C 65 E/214)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2713/03

by Kathleen Van Brempt (PSE) to the Commission

(11 September 2003)

Subject: Tispol road safety checks

Tispol, the European Network of Traffic Police, regularly organises national road safety checks at the same
In answer to Written Question E-2276/02 (1), the Commission
time in different EU Member States.
announced that measures would take place from mid-2002 to mid-2003.

Can the Commission provide more information on the results of these measures? How many people were
stopped and fined? What did these checks cost and what was the EU’s financial contribution?

Can the Commission give details of the results of the Tispol measures in Belgium?

What is the Commission’s assessment of the recent Tispol enforcement measures and what are its plans for
the future? Will there be more Europe-wide coordinated road safety checks in the next few years? If so, can
the Commission provide more information about this?

(1) OJ C 52 E, 6.3.2003, p. 148.

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(21 October 2003)

The Commission has received information concerning the results of concerted European-wide traffic
controls by Tispol over the period mid 2002 to mid 2003.