Piracy and Organised Crime: FIAD Welcomes Council Recognition in New EMPACT Priorities

FIAD welcomes the recent adoption of Council Conclusions on the enhancement of EMPACT and the EU crime priorities for the 2026–2029 cycle, which recognises intellectual property (IP) crime——as a strategic sub-priority in the fight against organised crime.

EMPACT, the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats, is the EU’s flagship framework to identify and tackle the most pressing forms of international organised crime. Led by Member States with support from the European Commission, Europol, and other EU bodies, EMPACT has proven instrumental in coordinating cross-border investigations, disrupting high-risk networks, and safeguarding European citizens and economies.

In its newly adopted priorities for the next four-year cycle, the Council includes IP crime and the distribution of counterfeit goods under the umbrella of “economic and financial crimes.” The Conclusions call for EU action to “combat and disrupt criminal networks and criminal individual entrepreneurs involved in IP crime and in the production, sale or distribution (physical and online) of counterfeit goods or currencies.” The focus includes the harm posed to consumers, the environment, and the EU economy—language that closely echoes the arguments FIAD has consistently raised in recent months.

This development follows a year of intensified advocacy by FIAD at the EU level, including the publication of the FIAD Position Paper on Film Piracy. Drawing on insights from members across Europe, the position paper highlighted the link between illegal film distribution and wider organised criminal operations, emphasising the threats to both the creative economy and consumer safety.

FIAD’s messaging has consistently underscored the need for the EU institutions to connect the ongoing mass scale infringement of intellectual property - including films - with organised criminal gangs who commit online piracy alongside other criminal activities, - both to protect creative investment and to ensure that piracy is not treated in isolation, but recognised as part of broader illicit activities undermining Europe’s rule of law.