Study visit: strengthening networks with EU Customs

Target Country: Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine
IPR area: Enforcement

In order to support Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine to strengthen the customs enforcement and combat counterfeiting and piracy in trade, the project aims at taking concrete steps to bring closer cooperation with EU authorities and thus increase the efficiency and effectiveness of IP rights enforcement.

Building on the success of a similar activity carried out with Ukrainian, Moldovan and Croatian Customs officers in September 2025, the project will aim at strengthening the cooperation with EU MS Customs authorities by setting up a streamlined exchange of information and communication with sister organisations of the EU Member States and a knowledge transfer through cooperation meetings.

This activity will arrange a study visit in tentatively 1, 2 or 3 Member States, with EU Customs for an ‘on the job’ exchange of best practices to learn working procedures at different EU strategic points; airports, ports, postal hubs and relevant offices, based on case incidents and specific risk analysis.

The stakeholders will first agree on a list of key priorities to be discussed, to address specific issues in the fight against commercial-scale counterfeiting and piracy. Topics of interest will be demand-driven from the project beneficiaries’ countries and could include information on seizures, customs training on product information, customs procedures and public access to information, infringement risk information, etc. On-site visits will be organized for a first hand exchanges of best practices.

Open discussions will also be held for mutual understanding of each of their issues, and knowledge and experience exchange on each other’s IP rights enforcement policies and practices. At the end, the parties will jointly review the results achieved and consider further steps of cooperation to possibly develop new initiatives following the visits and strengthen the collaboration.