Regulation (EU) 2024/3015 on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market

What it is

to lay down rules prohibiting the placing on the EU market of products made with forced labour, as well as their export from the EU. PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council. BACKGROUND: forced labour, including forced child labour, continues to be a major global issue, with the ILO estimating the global number of people in a situation of forced labour at around 27.6 million in 2021. Vulnerable and marginalised groups in a society are particularly susceptible to be pressured into performing forced labour. Even when it is not state imposed, forced labour is often a consequence of a lack of good governance of certain economic operators. The Committee on International Trade and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted the report by Samira RAFAELA (Renew, NL) and Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES (S&D, PT) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market. The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows: Members proposed that the packaging, transportation and distribution of goods should be covered by the proposal, given the fact that these activities are an essential part of the goods supply chain and a sector where there is evidence of existence of forced labour. A new article has been included concerning remediation for victims by the economic operator. Remedial measures may include financial and non-financial compensation. Members stated that products coming from specific geographical high-risk regions or countries where forced labour practices are systemic and widespread should be presumed to be in violation of the Regulation and should therefore be automatically subject to an investigation. Economic operators have the burden to disproof such presumption. The amended text stated that the Commission should issue guidelines no later than 12 months (as opposed to 18 months as proposed by the Commission) after the entry into force of this Regulation, which shall cover guidance on: - due diligence in relation to forced labour, including forced child labour and forced women and girl’s labour; - requirements that economic operators need to adhere to in order to prove that they have eliminated forced labour from their supply chains and corrective actions adopted to prevent future abuses. Members specified that the work of the Union Network Against Forced Labour Products should be coordinated by the Commission. The Network should, inter alia , aim to: (i) streamline the practices of the competent authorities within the Union that facilitate the implementation of joint enforcement activities by Member States, including joint investigations; (ii) facilitate capacity building activities, such as the organisation of training programmes for competent authorities and other relevant stakeholders; (iii) promote…

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