Publication

This brief examines the economic and security threat posed by illicit trade flows in the EU. The authors argue that illicit trade flows of counterfeit and contraband excise goods, narcotics and people not only generate massive costs for the EU, they also make the Union more vulnerable to terrorist attacks by financing terrorist organizations and by making its borders more porous. They contend that an under-prioritization of the problem by policymakers has led to inadequate countermeasures being adopted. They then propose initiatives the EU could adopt to counter the problem. These include better data collection and the compilation of national reports on illicit trade.