Counterfeit Euro coins decrease by 4% in 2013

The number of counterfeit euro coins removed from circulation in 2013 decreased by 4 percent compared to the year before, the European Commission announced here Thursday in a statement. 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, noted the statement. The proportion of counterfeit 50 cent coins increased (16,7 percent of the total) and that of 1-euro coins decreased (15,6 percent of the total).