Prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market

The negotiating team at the last trilogue on the Forced Labour proposal of 4 March 2024
The negotiating team at the last trilogue on the Forced Labour proposal © European Union (2024)

On 23 April 2024, Parliament adopted the Regulation on Prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market. The co-Rapporteurs for this file are Ms Maria-Manuel LEITÃO-MARQUES (S&D, IMCO) and Ms Samira RAFAELA (Renew, INTA). The text now has to get a final formal approval from the EU Council. It will then be published in the Official Journal. Member states will have to start applying the rules in 3 years time.

In a nutshell, under the agreement:

  • Suspected use of forced labour will be investigated and, if proven, products will be withdrawn from the market
  • The decision to open an investigation is to take into account whether a product is from an area where there is high risk of state-imposed forced labour
  • Products can be allowed back on the market if forced labour is eliminated from the supply chain.
IMCO co-Rapporteur, Ms Leitão-Marques said: "Today, worldwide, 28 million people are trapped in the hands of human traffickers and states who force them to work for little or no pay. Europe cannot export its values while importing products made with forced labour. The fact that the EU finally has a law to ban these products is one of the biggest achievements of this mandate, and a victory for progressive forces."