Press Release: Counterfeit Euro coins decrease by 4% in 2013

The European Commission on 30 january 2014 announced that the number of counterfeit euro coins removed from circulation in 2013 decreased by 4% compared to the year before.

In 2013, national authorities in all Euro zone countries withdrew a total of 175 900 fake euro coins. With 16.8 billion genuine euro coins currently in circulation, the counterfeit ratio is 1 for every 100 000 genuine coins. While the absolute number of removed coins decreased for every single denomination, the 2 euro denomination remains by far the most affected by this criminal activity, representing 2 out of 3 counterfeit euro coins detected (67,6% of the total). The proportion of counterfeit 50 euro cent increased (16,7% of the total) and that of 1-euro coins decreased (15,6% of the total).

ESO: Background information: Euro coin counterfeiting in 2012 http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-euro-coin-counterfeiting-in-2012/

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