Symbols of globalization

It’s 12.54, a 40 foot container full of cosmetics swings overhead, borne by one of the hundreds of cranes in the port of Shanghai. Two seconds later another 40-footer with more than 8 million cigarettes hidden inside is loaded onto a ship bound for West Africa. Only 2 further seconds tick by before a crane swings into action to load a container full of tea en route to Dubai. Every 2 seconds a container leaves the port of Shanghai. Who could fail to be impressed by the never-ending dance of these huge metal boxes, symbols of the globalization of trade!

The one million Customs officers around the world who make up the combined force of all the WCO’s Member administrations have to deal with an annual flow of 400 million containers, and the number is increasing by 10% each year.

It’s 02.00 at Zaventem Airport in Brussels, and under the deafening unrelenting roar of airplane engines, the 100 or so employees of an express courier company start their shift. By daybreak they will have handled between 130 and 140 thousand packages. Every night, as many packages pass through this centre as there are Customs officers in the European Union!

The increase in world trade has generated an unprecedented surge in industrial counterfeiting, and it is against this backdrop that Customs officers must gear up for “mission impossible”: how to stem the tide of counterfeit and pirated goods which is washing over our borders. There is no denying that we have a real fight on our hands. Despite increasingly sophisticated control techniques, and greater awareness and commitment on the part of politicians at the international level, counterfeiting and piracy now form an integral part of the world of consumers albeit often unbeknown to them.