BRUSSELS: On Tuesday, legislators came to a consensus on a bill that advocates believe will assist in preventing imports from China, bringing the European Union one step closer to outlawing goods manufactured using forced labor.
China is not mentioned by name in the bloc’s draft text; instead, it concentrates on all goods produced using forced labor, even those produced inside the EU.
3.3 million children and over 28 million adults worldwide are employed in forced labor, according to the International Labour Organization.
The new regulation mandates that the European Commission launch an investigation into any suspicions of forced labor in a business’s non-EU supplier chains.
In the meantime, where forced labor is suspected within the EU, the 27 member states are expected to open investigations.
The relevant commodities may be confiscated at the borders and removed from the European market as well as from online markets if it is demonstrated that forced labor was used.
Any infractions may result in fines for businesses. Authorities stated that fines should be a sum that serves as a deterrence even though the law does not specify a minimum or maximum amount.
A corporation may be able to reintroduce prohibited goods onto the European market if it eliminates forced labor from its supply networks.
“Products created with Uyghur forced labor are among the most obvious examples of the widespread use of forced labor on our market. Maria Manuel Leitao Marques, an EU legislator who led the legislation through parliament, declared, “This is unacceptable.”
The EU regulation, which was initially suggested in 2022, will go into effect following formal acceptance by the parliament and all 27 of the EU’s member states.
