European Parliament approves law banning products made with forced labor

The law against forced labor was approved by the overwhelming majority of MEPs (555 votes in favor, six against and 45 abstentions) and will now have to be ratified by the European Commission, which brings together the 27 Member States.
After that, countries will have to start applying the new legislation over the next three years.

“Today, across the world, 28 million people are in the hands of human traffickers and states that force them to work for little or no pay,” said Portuguese MEP Maria Leitão Marques, co-rapporteur of the text.

“Europe cannot export its values ​​while importing products made with forced labor. The fact that the European Union finally has a law that bans these products is one of the greatest achievements of this mandate”, added the socialist MEP.

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), forced labor affected 27.6 million people worldwide in 2021, including 3.3 million children.

One of the main targets of the new law is China, accused of violating the Human Rights of the Uighur minority in Xinjiang, a region that is a major global supplier of cotton and materials for solar panels. In 2021, the United States adopted legislation banning the import of products from Xinjiang unless companies are able to prove they did not resort to forced labor.

With the new law in force, national authorities in the 27 EU countries or the commission itself will be able to open investigations into suspicious goods, supply chains or manufacturers. Preliminary investigations must be completed within a maximum period of 30 days.

If it is concluded that the product in question was manufactured using forced labor, its sale will be prohibited on the European Union market and it will be intercepted at EU borders and removed from online platforms.

The goods in question may be retained, and not destroyed, until the company in question eliminates forced labor from its supply chain.

On the same day, MEPs gave the green light to the revision of the directive against human trafficking, which now includes forced marriage, illegal adoption and the exploitation of surrogacy.

The update comes into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union and Member States will have two years to implement the new provisions.

There was also a clear vote on this amendment (563 votes in favor and seven votes against). The review foresees the criminalization of the use of services provided by the victim in cases where the beneficiary is aware of how the person is being exploited. Sanctions are also foreseen for companies involved in human trafficking.