Compte rendu in extenso des débats

Lundi 22 avril 2024 - Strasbourg

19. Interdire sur le marché de l'Union les produits issus du travail forcé (débat)

  President. – The next item is the debate on the report by Samira Rafaela and Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques, on behalf of the Committee on International Trade and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, 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 (COM(2022)0453 – C9-0307/2022 – 2022/0269(COD)) (A9-0306/2023).

  Samira Rafaela, rapporteur. – Madam President, the forced labour ban regulation resembles a grand marathon with many challenges along the way that made the journey both demanding and fulfilling. This regulation will be groundbreaking and unique. It is broad, inclusive and tackles many issues. The forced labour ban will put a halt to the entry of products and services produced under dire, inhumane and undignified circumstances.

For too long, we have accepted products and services that are cheap, at the expense of societal consequences on the people involved in the production or supply chains. Almost 30 million people are working in inhumane conditions and slaved, sometimes for life, to produce goods and services exported around the world, notably to our markets. And 13 million victims are women and girls. Forced labour touches the very essence of gender inequality. We see women and girls placed in environments that set them back significantly in life, time and again. We see women and children imposed upon with reality that is ugly and unjust. Several companies earn altogether around USD 236 billion thanks to these practices over the back of the people. And I’m happy that many of you stood firm with us when we negotiated and demanded a comprehensive definition of remediation in the regulation. Even though some parties were immovable until the very end.

I firmly believe and am convinced that mainstreaming, remediation and regulation will lead to transitional justice for victims. We have worked for decades in sweatshops, factories and other dire and dark circumstances to support unethical supply chains. The faces, names and stories shall be and must be recognised. The regulation will also ensure that we address not only forced labour, but also state imposed forced labour through a risk-based approach. This approach will enable European national authorities, along with the European Commission, to lead investigations into suspected cases of forced labour.

The regulation will further enhance inter-European cooperation. Member States and their respective customs authorities will work together in the Union network with unified and facilitated access to comprehensive information on risk areas, products and gender aggregated data through the database and this will ease the work of authorities tasked with preventing products from entering the European market.

This regulation is also a significant opportunity for our companies and SMEs. Together with the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, companies will be prepared to address the significant issues ahead of us, making them more resilient, competitive and real drivers of change. And the regulation will also democratise the way we trade with our partners, while placing human rights and responsible business conduct at the forefront. People, consumers and other organisations will now also be able to take initiative when they realise that products do not comply with the newly set norms and together with the authorities, they will help us tackle the serious issue of forced labour.

It has been a true pleasure, a great honour and a privilege to serve in this House, and this sprint marks the end of my marathon. So I thank you very much for the cooperation and specifically towards my dear co-rapporteur Maria-Manuel Marquez. I am proud of what we do together in the EU and for each other, for intersectional policies and justice and for the people outside, around the world. And my final ask would be to vote in favour of this regulation tomorrow, and to the countries and partners watching, this is your moment to ratify ILO Protocol 29 to the Forced Labour Convention.

  Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques, relatora. – Senhora Presidente, atualmente, em todo o mundo, 28 milhões de pessoas estão presas nas mãos de traficantes de seres humanos ou, por vezes, de Estados que as forçam a trabalhar por pouco ou nenhum salário. 12 % delas são crianças. Este negócio da miséria humana está a prosperar, apesar dos esforços internacionais para acabar com ele. Quase 100 anos após a adoção da histórica Convenção sobre o Trabalho Forçado, de 1930, a Organização Internacional do Trabalho estima que o trabalho forçado origine 217 mil milhões de euros por ano de lucros ilegais, um aumento dramático de 37 % desde 2014. É comparável a uma economia como a de Portugal.

É muito provável que a t—shirt que hoje vestimos seja feita com algodão contaminado por violação dos direitos humanos, sem que saibamos disso. Se não foi colhido no Turquemenistão, pode ter sido na região de Sinquião, na China, onde se estima que mais de 2 milhões de pessoas, principalmente uigures, estejam em risco de trabalho forçado. São forçados a trabalhar em setores de mão de obra intensiva, onde colhem algodão ou tomate, montam brinquedos, mobiliário e eletrónica, costuram vestuário ou processam polisilício.

Temos agora uma oportunidade histórica para combater esta forma de escravatura moderna, tanto na União Europeia, como no resto do mundo. Após anos de mobilização cívica e batalhas políticas, após meses de negociações muito difíceis – obrigada, Samira, pela tua cooperação –, a União Europeia aprovou a primeira lei europeia que proíbe a venda de produtos fabricados com o trabalho forçado no seu mercado. Os Estados Unidos e o Canadá já possuem os seus instrumentos jurídicos equivalentes.

Para nós, socialistas, este é seguramente um motivo de orgulho. Tínhamos pedido esta lei como grupo político e a seguir trabalhámos duramente na sua discussão no Parlamento Europeu. Conseguimos um acordo muito alargado, como convém, quando sabemos que este é apenas o primeiro passo de um caminho longo e difícil para eliminar o trabalho forçado.

O texto final que vamos votar amanhã não é assim tão ambicioso como gostaríamos, mas pode fazer a diferença para as vítimas em todo o mundo. A nosso pedido, a Comissão criará uma base de dados com uma lista de setores económicos e áreas geográficas específicas, onde ocorre trabalho forçado imposto pelo Estado, informação essa que será utilizada para avaliar a necessidade de abertura de uma investigação.

A Comissão Europeia será responsável pela investigação de casos suspeitos de trabalho forçado fora da União, enquanto as autoridades nacionais competentes dos 27 Estados—Membros tratarão de casos dentro da União. No final da investigação, se ficar provado que houve trabalho forçado na cadeia de produção, o produto final terá de ser retirado do mercado interno, podendo ser reciclado ou doado.

A Europa não pode exportar valores e importar produtos feitos com trabalho forçado. O facto de a União Europeia ter finalmente uma lei para proibir estes produtos no mercado interno é uma das maiores conquistas deste mandato e uma vitória para todos os que defendem os direitos humanos. Muito obrigada a todos os que me ajudaram e à Samira, bem como às nossas equipas nesta negociação.

  Salima Yenbou, Rap avis AFET. – Madame la Présidente, 28 millions de personnes dans le monde sont victimes du travail forcé. Cette réalité choquante doit tous nous alerter. Dans ce contexte, ce règlement crucial et historique présente des points forts, en traquant et en bannissant enfin, dans les chaînes d’approvisionnement des entreprises, les produits issus du travail forcé ou liés à des systèmes étatiques. Nous demandons la mise en place d’une base de données pour faciliter l’identification du travail forcé par zone ou entreprise à risque. Nous exigeons aussi des entreprises une réparation pour les victimes. Nous apportons un soutien supplémentaire aux PME. Nous demandons la destruction des produits issus du travail forcé.

Ces avancées ayant été obtenues, en tant que rapporteure en droits humains, je demande à la Commission d’appliquer ce règlement de manière urgente. Ensemble, nous devons œuvrer à un véritable instrument de changement, qui garantit des conditions dignes et humaines à chacun. Nous le devons aux Ouïgours, malheureux symboles du travail forcé, et nous le devons à toutes les victimes, sur tous les continents.

  Mounir Satouri, rapporteur pour avis de la commission de l’emploi et des affaires sociales. – Madame la Présidente, le travail forcé n’est pas un crime du passé. Des régimes dictatoriaux y ont recours tous les jours et trouvent le moyen ainsi de rentabiliser les violations des droits humains. Des entreprises vont jusqu’à construire tout leur modèle d’entreprise sur l’exploitation de la misère. Cela fait 28 millions de victimes dans le monde et des millions de produits qui inondent nos marchés. Une ONG a d’ailleurs démontré que depuis 2017, 600 millions de tonnes de poisson issu du travail forcé se sont retrouvées dans nos assiettes, ici même au Parlement européen. C’est totalement inacceptable.

Avec cette législation, nous n’avons plus besoin de nous soucier d’où viennent les produits que nous consommons. Désormais, l’Europe s’en charge; l’Europe nous protège. Le marché européen sera donc protégé de cette concurrence déloyale. Les États répressifs qui pratiquent le travail forcé verront leurs bénéfices baisser.

Malheureusement, nous sommes passés à côté de l’exigence d’indemniser les victimes. Les Verts ne les abandonneront pas. C’est un combat que nous nous engageons à poursuivre jusqu’au bout, parce qu’il en va de notre honneur.

  Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President of the Commission. – Madam President, honourable Members, first of all, I would like to thank the Parliament for organising this debate and for this opportunity to speak on this important legislative initiative: a proposal for a regulation to prohibit products made with forced labour on the Union market.

The fight against forced labour is a political priority for this Commission. As forced labour continues to exist, and even grow, the European Union needs an effective tool to avoid that products made with forced labour are placed on the EU market. For example, the latest ILO report issued last month estimates the total illegal annual profits for forced labour at USD 236 billion. This is USD 64 billion more as compared to the previous estimate from a decade ago.

Therefore, this measure is urgently needed to provide strong incentives for companies and governments to ensure respect for human rights and better labour protection, in line with international commitments taken by a large majority of countries, as well as to make sure that the economic operators produce products without using forced labour. We cannot allow companies to profit from forced labour by selling their products in the single market.

The Commission welcomes the trial agreement, reached in early March by the European Parliament and the Council on the draft regulation, so I’d like to congratulate Parliament and especially the co-rapporteurs, Maria‑Manuel Leitão‑Marques and Samira Rafaela, for their remarkable work on this file.

We expect that the agreed text will lead to a balanced and effective instrument based on elements included in a provisional agreement, such as close cooperation between Member States and the Commission, as well as implementation of a risk-based approach and the approach of state-imposed forced labour.

The main change brought to the agreed text, compared with the initial Commission proposal, concerns the governance mechanism, which will result in the Commission taking a large majority of cases. This instrument will be only as strong and effective as the team implementing it so, going forward, we count on Parliament and the Council to assure that the Commission will have enough resources to be able to deliver for the Union and meet the objective of helping to eradicate forced labour and ban products made with forced labour from the Union market.

The Commission has prepared a formal statement on financing of resources for the implementation of the regulation. The statement was sent to Parliament’s services for inclusion in the verbatim record of this debate. So let me thank Parliament again for your hard work throughout the negotiations on this file, and encourage you to endorse this instrument as provisionally agreed with the Council.

Commission statement (in writing)

“The European Commission notes that the final agreement reached by the co-legislators on the Regulation on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market has evolved significantly in terms of the staff and resources required for its implementation by the Commission, compared to the legislative financial statement which accompanied the original proposal (COM(2022) 453 final of 14.09.2022), which was based on a decentralised model of implementation combined with support for implementation at EU level.

The Commission recalls that, for the current MFF, the Commission is operating under the principle of stable staffing imposed by the budgetary authority, and – given the wide array of additional tasks that have been conferred upon the Union since the beginning of the MFF - it is already under severe constraints, making it difficult to cover even the existing tasks’ needs. There is no margin to finance additional officials or external staff. Therefore, any additional tasks conferred by the co-legislators upon the Commission shall be accompanied by corresponding resource reinforcements ensuring their effective implementation.

In light of the above, the additional Commission human resources required by the final agreement endorsed by the co-legislators will not allow the Commission to respect the principle of stable staffing.

This will require additional establishment plan posts and corresponding appropriations, to be authorised by the European Parliament and the Council during the annual budget procedure along with the related budgetary appropriations.

Furthermore, the Commission will also propose, in the framework of the annual budgetary procedure, the creation of additional budget lines under the Single Market Programme, the Customs Programme or both, financed from the Programme’s available appropriations, in so far as allowed under the respective legal bases, as identified in the updated Legislative Financial Statement provided by the Commission, which will also be used to finance the Commission’s implementation of the Regulation beyond the limit of the principle of stable staffing. These new budget lines will cover the cost of contractual agents and other administrative expenditures of the Commission in implementing the Regulation, to be authorised by the European Parliament and the Council during the annual budget procedure.”

  Ilan De Basso, föredragande av yttrande från utskottet för utveckling. – Fru talman! Det är över 150 år sedan som den transatlantiska slavhandeln avskaffades och 12 miljoner människor frigjordes. Trots det så förekommer det än i dag. Internationella arbetsorganisationens uppskattning är att nästan 30 miljoner människor i dag är offer för tvångsarbete globalt. Det här är helt oacceptabelt.

Människor utnyttjas, och många av de här företagen vill bara tälja guld på arbetstagarnas bekostnad. Det här kommer vi aldrig att acceptera.

Tvångsarbete är inte bara ett horribelt brott mot mänskliga rättigheter. Det snedvrider konkurrensen, missgynnar de företag som tar sitt ansvar för schysta villkor i leveranskedjan. Trots den svenska högerregeringens senfärdighet under sin tid som ordförandeland kan vi äntligen driva igenom en lag som tar itu med tvångsarbete och osund konkurrens, därför att mänskliga rättigheter måste vara en prioritet för oss.

Socialdemokraternas budskap är därför tydligt: Företagen ska ta sitt ansvar, respektera mänskliga rättigheter, och vi ska sätta stopp för modernt slaveri och tvångsarbete.

  Grace O’Sullivan, Rapporteur for the opinion of the Committee on Fisheries. – Madam President, when we think of forced labour and slavery, we might naturally think that these awful practices are long gone, unacceptable relics of the past with no place in the modern world. Unfortunately, we know this is not the case.

It is estimated that around 50 million people around the world are living in modern slavery at any given time, and of these, over 27 million are trapped in forced labour. We may also think that these practices occur far away from us in Europe and have nothing to do with us. Unfortunately, this also isn’t the case.

This forced labour often occurs in the value chains of international businesses operating in the EU. We must take strong action to put an end to these medieval practices. Those responsible must be punished and the European economy must be cleansed of goods built on misery and servitude of others. It is high time we act.

  Martine Kemp, on behalf of the PPE Group. – Madam President, dear colleagues, for too long we have been turning a blind eye to the suffering of countless individuals who are forced to toil in deplorable conditions, often for little to no pay. The bitter reality is that, by allowing products produced through forced labour available in or exported from the European Union, we are being complicit in this injustice.

By undermining the efforts of ethical businesses that strive to uphold labour standards and human rights, we are sending the message that exploitation and abuse are acceptable as long as they lead to cheap goods. I believe none of us present in this Chamber agrees with this. What we agree on, though, is that the European Union leads by example, always standing up for the values that we hold dear: freedom, dignity and justice for all.

To this effect, with this regulation we are clearly stating that products made with forced labour will not be tolerated in any form, and that those who engage in it will face consequences. In this regard, I personally celebrate the balanced, solid and fair agreement reached:

Balanced, because it is developed on a risk-based approach, focusing our efforts on the most severe cases.

Solid, as it does not only maintain the possibility for the Commission to carry out field inspections even in and outside of Europe, but includes a stronger and more explicit non-cooperation clause as well.

Fair, since it ensures a level playing field for our SMEs that shape the very basis of our economy and who are so often overburdened by new regulations.

For all these reasons, with this agreement we are sending a strong signal of solid commitment to the principles and values that characterise and differentiate us in the international sphere, while ensuring our strategic autonomy by strengthening the competitiveness of our SMEs.

Human rights are non-negotiable, and we will not fail on our commitment to justice and fairness.

  Bernd Lange, im Namen der S&D-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, Herr Exekutiv-Vizepräsident der Kommission, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Wir kennen alle diese blauen Einmalhandschuhe: Die haben wir alle während der Corona-Pandemie angehabt. Die kommen zu 70 % aus Malaysia, und drei Firmen nutzen zur Herstellung dieser Einmalhandschuhe nachweislich Zwangsarbeit.

Ich glaube, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, in einer Zeit, in der wir leben, wo wir seit 1930 das Verbot der Zwangsarbeit durch die ILO haben, 1957 noch einmal in der ILO-Konvention 105 ergänzt, kann es nicht sein, dass Unternehmen aufgrund der Zwangsarbeit von Menschen zusätzliche Gewinne einfahren. Valdis Dombrovskis war auf einer Konferenz, die ich mit der ILO zusammen organisiert habe, um zu präsentieren, wie viel. Und es sind 236 Milliarden zusätzliche Gewinne, die auf dieser Erde durch Zwangsarbeit erzielt werden – nebenbei nicht nur in Asien, sondern auch in Europa. Das muss man sich immer auch vergegenwärtigen.

Und deswegen ist es richtig, dass wir in unserer Gesetzgebung nicht differenzieren – die Bösen draußen und die Guten drinnen –, sondern es ist horizontal, auch für die Europäische Union. Import, Vermarktung und Export gehören auf den Müllhaufen der Geschichte.

Wir brauchen wirklich Ressourcen: Wir brauchen die Datenbank, und wir brauchen auch Menschen in der Kommission, die das umsetzen können und die Untersuchungen durchführen können. Dafür werden wir auch streiten. Das darf kein Papiertiger sein, das muss ein vernünftiges Gesetz sein, das den Menschen in Europa und darüber hinaus hilft.

  Svenja Hahn, im Namen der Renew-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin! Der EU—Binnenmarkt darf kein Absatzmarkt mehr für Produkte aus Zwangsarbeit sein. Das neue Gesetz muss einen Beitrag leisten, um moderne Sklaverei zu bekämpfen. Das ist sowohl eine Frage von Menschenrechten als auch eine Frage von fairem Wettbewerb, denn Ausbeutung darf kein Geschäftsmodell sein.

Wir dürfen dabei nicht vergessen, dass der Schutz von Menschenrechten zuvorderst staatliche Aufgabe ist. Deswegen ist es so wichtig, dass in Zukunft die Kommission Verantwortung übernehmen wird und zusammen mit den Mitgliedstaaten die Beweisführung für Zwangsarbeit in den Lieferketten durchführen soll. Denn leider muss man sagen: Die EU—Kommission unter von der Leyen hat es – wie viel zu oft – vergessen, zu diesem Gesetz auch eine Folgenabschätzung vorzulegen. Das heißt, wir wissen nicht, ob dieses Gesetz praxistauglich ist. Deswegen ist es so wichtig, dass wir Liberale durchgesetzt haben, dass das Gesetz bereits zwei Jahre nach Inkrafttreten daraufhin überprüft wird, ob es zielgenau greift. Denn unser weltweiter Einsatz für Menschenrechte braucht eine EU, die auch funktioniert.

  Anna Cavazzini, im Namen der Verts/ALE-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! 28 Millionen Arbeiterinnen und Arbeiter in Zwangsarbeit, und es werden immer mehr. 28 Millionen, das ist nicht irgendeine Zahl, das sind Menschen. Menschen wie Tara, die in Indien Tag und Nacht und auch noch, als sie schwer erkrankt, in einer Ziegelfabrik arbeiten muss. Oder Menschen wie Henry, der nach Mauritius kam und dort als billige Arbeitskraft ausgenutzt wird, Textilien für den europäischen Markt näht – ohne jemals die Fabrik zu verlassen, ohne Lohn zu bekommen. 28 Millionen Menschen, viele von ihnen Kinder, Migrantinnen und Migranten – Menschen, die wenig Macht haben und deswegen von skrupellosen Unternehmen ausgenutzt werden.

Für diese Menschen, für Tara und Henry, haben wir dieses Gesetz auf den Weg gebracht: das Verbot von Produkten aus Zwangsarbeit. Für all die vielen Unternehmen, die redlich sind, die korrekt wirtschaften, haben wir dieses Gesetz vorangebracht, denn Zwangsarbeit ist schließlich eine der krassesten Formen von Dumping und Wettbewerbsverzerrung. Und nicht zuletzt für die Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher stimmen wir für das Verbot von Produkten aus Zwangsarbeit. Endlich können sie sicher sein, dass ihre Lieblingsjeans oder ihr Handy nicht unter Zwang hergestellt worden sind.

  Kosma Złotowski, w imieniu grupy ECR. – Pani Przewodnicząca! Panie Komisarzu! Wyścig o obniżanie kosztów w gospodarce światowej prowadzi do sytuacji, w których przedsiębiorstwa, chcąc generować większy zysk, korzystają z pracy przymusowej na różnych etapach produkcji. Konsumenci w Unii Europejskiej często nie mają pojęcia o tych praktykach i, kupując produkt, sugerują się głównie ceną.

To uderza przede wszystkim w uczciwe firmy i ich pozycję rynkową. Musimy szukać sposobów, jak skutecznie wykrywać przypadki wykorzystywania pracy dzieci czy form współczesnego niewolnictwa, którego ofiarą bardzo często padają kobiety.

W najbliższym sąsiedztwie Unii Europejskiej są państwa, takie jak Białoruś czy Rosja, które czerpią korzyści gospodarcze z systemu kolonii karnych i pracy więźniów politycznych. W procesie pozyskiwania metali ziem rzadkich, które są niezbędne do produkcji elektroniki czy baterii do pojazdów elektrycznych, dzieci są często wykorzystywane do najcięższej pracy. To dodatkowy społeczny koszt polityki klimatycznej Unii Europejskiej, o którym musimy również pamiętać.

Nieuczciwe firmy, którym udowodniono świadome korzystanie z pracy przymusowej, powinny być stanowczo karane i eliminowane z unijnego rynku, a informacje na ten temat powinny być publiczne i dostępne dla konsumentów.

  Alessandra Basso, a nome del gruppo ID. – Signora Presidente, onorevoli colleghi, signor Commissario, ogni tanto l'Europa non emana solo quelle che tante volte ho definito "eurofollie", ma adotta anche provvedimenti sensati come questo, che vieta i prodotti ottenuti con il lavoro forzato nel mercato dell'Unione.

Il lavoro forzato è una grave piaga della società che colpisce una parte importante della popolazione mondiale. Secondo l'Organizzazione Internazionale del Lavoro, nel mondo ci sono milioni di persone, tra i quali milioni di minorenni, costrette al lavoro forzato, e i profitti derivanti da questo sfruttamento ammontano a quasi 220 miliardi di euro ogni anno e questi profitti sono aumentati del 37 % in un decennio.

La schiavitù è diffusa in tutto il mondo, in Africa e nella zona asiatica del Pacifico, negli Stati arabi, dove il totale delle persone schiavizzate rispetto al totale della popolazione si impenna drasticamente.

Particolare attenzione per via dei milioni di prodotti che ogni anno entrano nel mercato europeo merita la Cina e alcune sue regioni, dove minoranze di fede musulmana sono da anni vittime di gravi violazioni dei diritti umani. Oltre 1 milione di persone sono detenute e costrette al lavoro forzato. Il loro lavoro forzato contribuisce alla produzione di numerosi beni per diverse multinazionali, beni venduti soprattutto nei mercati europei occidentali, quindi a casa nostra.

E se queste situazioni mettono i brividi, c'è di peggio: lo sfruttamento dei bambini. Milioni di bambini sfruttati. Milioni, mentre i nostri figli e nipoti vanno a scuola a fare sport o a divertirsi. Per fortuna è un fenomeno che si sta tentando di arginare, ma in alcuni paesi certi numeri gridano vendetta. In Thailandia il 32 % dell'intera forza lavoro è costituito da minori. In India ci sono quasi 60 milioni di bambini lavoratori. In Nepal il 60 % dei bambini svolge lavori che impediscono il loro sviluppo. In Brasile lavorano 7 milioni di bambini.

Per questo motivo ho accolto con fiducia questo provvedimento, che prevede anche orientamenti destinati agli operatori economici e alle autorità per aiutare a porre fine alla schiavitù dei tempi moderni.

  Helmut Scholz, im Namen der The Left-Fraktion. – Frau Präsidentin, Herr Vizepräsident, werte Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Es wurde schon hervorgehoben, wie viel Gutes dieses Gesetz bringen kann. Ich schließe mich da gerne prinzipiell an. Die Abstimmung morgen ist wirklich eine historische für Menschenrechte und verknüpft – ähnlich der Lieferkettengesetzgebung – politische und wirtschaftliche Verantwortung. Wir wollen keine Produkte auf dem Binnenmarkt, die aus Zwangsarbeit produziert werden, weder in der EU noch in Drittländern. Das senden wir als ein starkes Signal an unsere Bürgerinnen und Bürger, gehen aber zugleich auch auf der internationalen Bühne mit positivem Beispiel voran.

Wir sollten allerdings ehrlich sein: Der jetzt vorliegende Kompromiss enthebt uns nicht der Pflicht, ein Wirtschaftssystem grundsätzlich zu hinterfragen, das für sein Wachstum Kinder und Zwangsarbeit billigend in Kauf nimmt. Für die 28 Millionen Betroffenen weltweit ist der nächste positive Quartalsbericht wahrscheinlich ein schwacher Trost. Denn es ist uns nicht gelungen, eine Entschädigung der Opfer von Zwangsarbeit im Gesetzestext verpflichtend zu verankern. Es ist nicht haltbar, dass Betroffene von Zwangsarbeit keine Wiedergutmachung erhalten.

Sorgen wir dafür, dass Unternehmen oder auch staatliche Akteure hier die entsprechende gesetzliche und direkte finanzielle Verantwortung übernehmen! Ich sehe dieses Gesetz deshalb nicht als End- sondern als Ausgangspunkt, soziale Marktwirtschaft in Einklang mit Menschenrechten und Nachhaltigkeit zu bringen.

Vielleicht noch zum Abschluss eines: Wir haben vieles auf den Weg gebracht, um den 17 Nachhaltigkeitszielen der UNO näher zu kommen. Unsere heutige Gesetzgebung betrifft unmittelbar die Ziele 8, 10, 12 und 1. Bleiben wir dran! Das nächste Parlament muss unsere Bemühungen fortsetzen.

  Katarína Roth Neveďalová (NI). – Vážená pani predsedajúca, práca má byť dobrovoľná, pracovné podmienky zodpovedajúce a mala by prísť, samozrejme, aj zaslúžená odmena pre týchto ľudí.

Nútená práca nemá miesto v 21. storočí a už vidíme, že aj chronickí porušovači týchto pravidiel postupne pristupujú k pravidlám Medzinárodnej organizácie práce. Ak je štandardom a zakazujú takúto prácu. Neexistuje dôvod, prečo by sme my ako Európska únia mali tolerovať alebo mali prestať vlastne riešiť túto situáciu, a mali sme umožňovať možnosť, aby mohli vlastne stále niektorí ľudia a niektoré firmy využívať nútenú prácu. Neexistuje vôbec ani pre nás tolerancia, aby firmy mohli hovoriť o tom, že nevedia skontrolovať vo svojom reťazci výroby, či bola nejaká nútená práca, ktorá sa mohla stať počas tejto výroby.

Je podľa mňa veľmi dobrým riešením aj to, že Európska komisia bude vyšetrovať takéto porušenia. Ak nejaká firma poruší túto možnosť a nebude vedieť zdokladovať, či tam bola nejaká nútená práca, pretože, samozrejme, vždy príde najskôr nejaká, nejaký podnet, ktorý bude mať určite nejaké odôvodnenie. Nemyslím si, že to bude spôsob, ako budeme takéto firmy zneužívať.

Určite, ak nebudeme používať takéto výrobky, tak je to náš konkrétny spôsob, ako môžeme proti nútenej práci sami bojovať. A myslím si, že je dobré, keď ju zakážeme dovážať do Európskej únie, ak takéto niečo bolo vyrobené. Nemôžeme si dovoliť kupovať lacné veci, pretože boli ľudia pri ich výrobe zneužívaní. Sme v 21. storočí.

  Miriam Lexmann (PPE). – Madam President, according to the ILO, on any given day in 2021, there were 27.6 million people used as forced labour. In the Chinese province of Xinjiang, around 1.5 million people have been sent to concentration camps. Millions believed to be used as forced labour in making different products that end up on our markets, from cotton to solar panels. For too long, we ignore these facts, thus becoming morally complicit in these crimes. This is why I welcome both the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the ban on products made with forced labour.

I particularly welcome the risk-based approach so that our efforts can focus particularly on high-risk sectors and geographical areas, especially those like Xinjiang or Tibet, where State-imposed forced labour takes place. This way, we can also strike a balance between targeting the perpetrators and ensuring that our companies are not burdened by excessive administration. It is crucial that the ban hits those responsible for perpetrating and profiteering from abuses, rather than our small businesses.

The new legislation is not perfect, especially after countless negotiations and compromises. It is, however, an important first step in ensuring that we stop profiteering from the suffering of others. Human dignity is and must always be our number one priority.

  Maria Grapini (S&D). – Doamnă președintă, domnule comisar, stimați colegi, cred că încheiem acest mandat cu rapoarte extrem de importante: combaterea muncii forțate.

Deși avem o convenție din 1930, trebuie să spunem că nu a scăzut munca forțată. Numai în cinci ani, din 2016 până în 2021, a mai crescut cu aproape 3 milioane de persoane care suferă de fapt la această muncă forțată. De ce ? Cine sunt cei mai năpăstuiți ? Cei săraci, copiii, femeile.

Și da, s-a mai spus aici: nu trebuie să spunem că numai în țările terțe se întâmplă acest lucru, se întâmplă și în Uniunea Europeană și este foarte bine că astăzi dezbatem și sper să votăm acest regulament care să elimine munca forțată.

Este oribil să știi că sunt puși oameni să muncească și să nu fie plătiți, să nu poată să-și întrețină familia sau propria viață din banii pe care îi câștigă. Și cred că este bine să avem sancțiuni uniforme în toate statele membre și să eliminăm munca forțată. De foarte multe ori ne bucurăm la produse ieftine, dar trebuie să ne gândim că acele produse ieftine sunt realizate cu muncă forțată. De aceea, cred că este foarte bine că încheiem acest mandat cu un regulament care protejează oamenii.

  Pierre Karleskind (Renew). – Madame la Présidente, il y a quelques mois, nous avons adopté un rapport sur les pêches chinoises et leur influence sur les pêches illégales. Depuis, de nouvelles preuves de travail forcé à bord de ces navires, notamment dans la zone sud-ouest de l’océan Indien – ce sont les bateaux qui pêchent le thon – ont été apportées. On parle là de chantage, de brimades, d’agressions, d’agressions sexuelles, de retenues de salaires, de mois passés à bord d’embarcations chinoises, loin des familles, loin de tout. Vous pensez bien qu’au milieu des océans, il peut se passer n’importe quoi.

C’est ce que l’enquête de la Fondation pour la justice environnementale, publiée la semaine dernière, a révélé. Dans la chaîne de valeur de la production des produits de la mer, qui arrivent dans les assiettes des Européens, nous retrouvons aussi en Chine des traces de l’esclavage d’ouvriers nord-coréens. C’est ce qui a été révélé par l’Outlaw Ocean Project.

Cette semaine, nous allons avoir un vote historique – même deux avec le devoir de vigilance des entreprises. Alors, Monsieur le Vice-Président, faisons en sorte que, notamment avec le règlement luttant contre la pêche illégale, nous puissions combattre ce fléau moderne qui se trouve encore au milieu de nos océans et qui est une honte pour l’humanité.

  Michiel Hoogeveen (ECR). – Madam President, I would like to congratulate both rapporteurs on the work done and the results obtained. We support and share the commitment to combat forced labour. On these forced-labour ban rules, however, we have a few of our concerns.

First, the absence of an impact assessment remains a crucial point. Despite good intentions, it is essential to assess whether its costs are justified and reasonable. The partial report delivered in a few years does not suffice.

Second, we have doubts on the impact on our small and medium-sized businesses. Although guidelines will be provided, the lack of a centralised national contact point may leave entrepreneurs uncertain about how to implement this regulation.

Our third concern is the fact that the door for remediation remains open. While the reasons are understandable, we doubt its feasibility. Which brings me to my overall concern, and again, we believe this is sensible legislation, but our overall concern, dear Commissioner, is that we, as the European Union, are overregulating. The European Union faces grave competition. So we also need to start focusing on a competitive business climate. We hear promises from the Commission about a ‘one in, one out’ principle, better regulation, adequate impact assessments. But the reality simply does not match up. Again, while this legislation is sensible, we also ask the Commission to practise what it preaches. So we also need to start focusing on deregulation.

  Anabela Rodrigues (The Left). – Senhora Presidente, em 24 de abril de 2024 celebra-se 11 anos do colapso do Rana Plaza. Matou pelo menos 1 132 trabalhadores no Bangladexe. Aí, produziam-se as mesmas roupas que vestem milhões de pessoas na Europa e em todo o mundo. Este desastre provou que o mercado desregulado, com condições de trabalho forçado e infraestruturas inseguras, se pode converter num assassino em massa.

Já ouvimos aqui que, de acordo com a Organização Internacional do Trabalho, cerca de 27,6 milhões de pessoas têm sido vítimas de trabalho forçado em todo o mundo. Esta situação afeta desproporcionalmente pessoas pobres e racializadas no Sul Global.

Esta semana são votadas duas legislações importantes que ajudarão a travar a ganância desmedida e que constituem um avanço nos direitos humanos: a diretiva da devida diligência e sustentabilidade cooperativa e a proibição de produtos feitos com trabalho forçado. Cabe a este Parlamento lutar pela sua devida implementação, incluindo uma política ambiciosa de reparações a quem sobrevive a este flagelo, e devolver alguma justiça para evitar a continuidade da exploração dos mais fragilizados.

  René Repasi (S&D). – Frau Präsidentin, sehr geehrter Herr Vizepräsident der Kommission, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen! Diese Woche ist eine wichtige: Mit der Abstimmung über das Verbot von Produkten aus Zwangsarbeit und dem EU-Lieferkettengesetz schaffen wir nicht weniger als eine Neuprogrammierung unseres Binnenmarktes. Wir setzen endlich unsere globale Wirtschaftsmacht ein, nicht nur um Produktstandards weltweit zu setzen, sondern Produktionsstandards.

Wir sagen jetzt: Wer Gewinne mit den hart verdienten Euros unserer europäischen Verbraucherinnen und Verbraucher machen will, der muss sich für den Schutz von Menschenrechten und der Umwelt einsetzen. Wir sagen: Niemand darf einen Wettbewerbsvorteil haben, weil Menschenrechte missachtet werden und der Planet geschändet wird. Die schlimmste Verletzung dabei ist die Zwangsarbeit. Dank an Samira Rafaela und Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques für ihre Arbeit an dieser Verordnung.

Mit dem EU-Lieferkettengesetz verlangen wir von Unternehmen, dass sie ihre private Macht für den Schutz von Menschenrechten einsetzen. Mit dem Verbot von Produkten aus Zwangsarbeit nimmt zudem der Staat seine Verantwortung wahr und verhindert den Marktzugang der schlimmsten Menschenrechtsschändungen.

Endlich, liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen, endlich wagen wir es, unser ganzes ökonomisches Gewicht in die Waagschale zu werfen, um aus dieser Welt einen besseren Ort zu machen. Lassen wir es nicht zu, dass das in dem Getöse über den Bürokratieabbau untergeht!

  Jordi Cañas (Renew). – Señora presidenta, la Unión Europea va a prohibir los productos realizados con trabajo forzoso. Este es uno de los titulares que deberían señalar esta legislatura: conseguir que la decencia se incorpore en los principios y que los principios se incorporen en las obligaciones.

La Unión Europea no puede ni debe permitir que productos realizados con el sufrimiento de las personas —de mujeres, de niños, de personas privadas de libertad, de esclavos— puedan venderse con normalidad en nuestro mercado. Y eso explica por qué la Unión Europea es importante.

Cuando algunos la cuestionan, cuando ponen en duda para qué sirve la Unión Europea, podríamos decir algunas cosas como esta: porque la decencia importa, porque los derechos importan, porque los principios importan y porque para ser una Unión grande y fuerte tiene que ser justa. Justa con nosotros y justa con los demás. No podemos permitir que nadie se enriquezca utilizando el trabajo de los más desvalidos, de los más desfavorecidos. Eso hace grande a esta Unión y eso hace grande a este Parlamento.

  Inma Rodríguez-Piñero (S&D). – Señora presidenta, señora comisaria, Europa no puede exportar valores e importar productos hechos con trabajo forzado. Tenemos que acabar con la esclavitud moderna.

Se ha dicho varias veces, y no debemos dejar de repetirlo, que en el mundo hay 28 millones de personas explotadas, sometidas a la esclavitud, y el 12 % de ellas son niñas y niños. También en la Unión Europea 1,3 millones de personas sufren el trabajo forzado. Y todas nos están esperando.

La Organización Internacional del Trabajo estima que el trabajo forzoso genera al año 217 000 millones EUR de ganancias ilícitas. Un negocio repugnante que sigue creciendo.

Seamos un referente mundial mañana. Votemos masivamente a favor del nuevo Reglamento que prohíbe la venta en la Unión de productos hechos con trabajo forzado.

Gracias a nuestra coponente Maria-Manuel Leitão, a nuestro ponente alternativo —que hoy no puede estar con nosotros— Bernd Lange, y a todos los grupos mayoritarios por su excelente trabajo y su colaboración. Y, por supuesto, a nuestra coponente Samira Rafaela.

Hemos conseguido un buen acuerdo que obligará a todas las empresas que utilizan trabajo forzado en algún eslabón de su cadena de suministro a que sus productos fabricados sean retirados del mercado de la Unión y confiscados. La cooperación internacional y disponer de recursos suficientes será fundamental para una aplicación eficaz de la ley.

Este será mi último pleno como eurodiputada y me voy orgullosa de haber contribuido activamente, junto con mi grupo socialista y de demócratas, a tener una ley que prohíba la venta de estos productos en la Unión Europea. Las personas deben ser siempre lo primero y no debemos permitir nunca más la esclavitud.

  Barry Andrews (Renew). – Madam President, Commissioner and colleagues, it is a great pleasure to speak on a new European law aimed at safeguarding the human rights of some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

When I visit schools around Dublin, where I come from, and I tell students that their mobile phones, their food and especially their clothes could be tainted by the mark of forced labour and modern slavery, they are astonished, ashamed and they demand action.

So this is also about putting power in the hands of consumers and giving them the comfort to know that they are not passively contributing to human rights abuses across the world.

I would like to commend the French Government’s recent decision to implement an environmental levy on hyper-fast fashion products, particularly targeting items from Chinese brands like Shein and Temu, as well as banning the advertising of such products.

I call on the Irish Government to consider our own national legislation to address the impact of fast fashion and to put an end to the scourge of forced labour and modern slavery. I’d like to congratulate the Outlaw Ocean Project for their excellent investigative journalism in this field, and particularly thank the two rapporteurs, and, if I may say, my friend and colleague Samira Rafaela especially, for their excellent work on this file.

  Vlad-Marius Botoş (Renew). – Doamnă președintă, doamnă comisară, stimați colegi, drepturile omului sunt printre cele mai importante valori ale noastre, ale Uniunii Europene, iar acestea trebuie să se aplice tuturor. Fiecare cetățean trebuie să fie răsplătit pentru munca pe care o depune, pentru anii de pregătire, pentru experiența pe care a acumulat-o. Aceste reguli trebuie aplicate tuturor produselor, fie că sunt produse în Uniunea Europeană, fie că sunt produse în țări terțe.

Nu este vorba aici doar de importurile clasice, prin intermediul companiilor tradiționale, ci și de toate produsele care sunt cumpărate pe platformele online. Impunerea acestei condiții, interzicerea produselor realizate prin intermediul muncii silnice este o modalitate de a impune un standard minim al drepturilor omului tuturor partenerilor noștri, dar și o modalitate de a crea concurență echitabilă pentru producătorii europeni.

Drepturile omului trebuie apărate prin toate mijloacele de care Uniunea Europeană dispune. Felicitări, Samira! Felicitări tuturor colegilor care ați lucrat la acest raport. Este un mare, mare pas al nostru, al Uniunii Europene, înainte.

Catch-the-eye procedure

  Mick Wallace (The Left). – Madam President, the EU pretends to care about forced labour, but methinks the EU would implode if it had to stop exploiting, immiserating and shortening lives in the Global South.

The record of Western capitalism is one of genocide, colonialism and exploitation. We crushed the new democracies that came out of the post-war decolonisation period. We assassinated democratically elected leaders who spoke of independence, of breaking free of the system of exploitation that was established under the European colonialism. We use powerful lending institutions, like the World Bank and the IMF, to impose debt traps on former colonies, to keep them from developing. We force structural reforms on countries who defaulted on these impossible debt arrangements, ensuring that Western capital maintains the ability to exploit Global South resources. We have systematically de-developed former colonies in order to make lives cheap, workforces and resources cheaper and to maintain profits for Western capital at all costs.

Anyone who steps out of line, who challenges the system of Western-dominated global capitalism gets sanctions, regime change and war.

  Clare Daly (The Left). – Madam President, today, it’s estimated that at least 27 million people worldwide are captured in the horror of forced labour. Of course, the regulation before us aims to prevent the sale or export of products using forced labour within the EU market, which is obviously very good. Unlike the Due Diligence Directive, for example, this regulation is supposed to deal with all products and all companies regardless of their size, which again is good.

Unfortunately, once again, the Council has watered down the possibility of what we could do here because under certain circumstances, products manufactured using forced labour but likely to lead to the disruption of a supply chain of strategic or critical importance to the Union will be allowed to circulate, which, as far as I’m concerned, is an absolute joke, because what we’re seeing is the quest for critical raw materials means ditching moral concerns in relation to the matter. The text is important, but I fear that, like many other measures, it won’t be applied consistently and strictly, but rather used to pursue geopolitical objectives against our so-called enemies while ignoring the crimes of our so-called friends.

(End of catch-the-eye procedure)

  Ylva Johansson, Member of the Commission. – Madam President, I would like to thank you all for your interventions. I believe this reflects the importance of this issue.

I would like to emphasise the importance of this regulation and its adoption. The determined fight we are undertaking against forced labour demonstrates to our citizens and to the world that our pursuit of prosperity cannot be achieved without upholding our values and internationally agreed human rights.

This regulation sets a new standard for the fight against forced labour and, together with our like-minded partners, through cooperation and exchanges of information on forced-labour risk, we will continue fighting effectively against this horrible human rights violation.

The Commission is ready to prepare the effective and efficient implementation of the instrument, with the lowest administrative burden for companies, and in close cooperation with the Member States’ competent authorities. Allow me to thank you once again for your support of this legislative initiative.

  Samira Rafaela, rapporteur. – Madam President, I think it became very clear from this debate that we all share that we need to stand for human rights and that we need to protect human lives here, because this is really what the Forced Labour Ban Regulation is about. It’s about protecting human rights, but it’s also about promoting our own values and standards.

And this cannot be only empty talks. So yes, this is an instrument with teeth. We need to make sure that we follow up when it comes to the human rights that we sell in the world, and we are following several examples now in the world as being the EU. There are several other likeminded partners that have comparable legislation in place. Also to protect our multilateral system, and given the geopolitical situation in the world, it is very important that we harmonise as much as possible, that we try to do the same as much as possible as being likeminded partners. Because if we leverage that power, if we leverage these resources, if we leverage that knowledge, then we can be truly effective, from a multilateral perspective, when it comes to fighting for human rights and when it comes to protecting human rights.

And I am very proud to hear that we will probably count tomorrow on a big majority for this Forced Labour Ban Regulation, because that is, I believe, the only message we can send also in light of the elections. This is the message that we need to centre our citizens, that this is the Parliament that we have been fighting for – a Parliament that stands for the human rights and that protects human lives. And if we want to explain to our citizens why they should keep voting for the European elections, why the European Parliament delivers for citizens, then this is one of the very good examples, how we are preventing people in the world to become a victim of forced labour.

  Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques, rapporteur. – Madam President, I want to thank very much all colleagues for their intervention. The fight against forced labour must unite all of us in this Parliament. The European Union will finally have an instrument to address this practice, an instrument that is good for the victims, but also for the responsible European companies that protect their workers and suffer from unfair competition and dumping.

However, our work does not end here. For this regulation to be effective, it must be properly implemented. We must ensure that competent authorities, including the European Commission, have sufficient resources to carry out their new tasks, including inspection in third countries. I hope the Commission feels proud of this new competence. Cooperation with our international partners, particularly the US and Canada, will also be essential to prevent companies blocked by one country from selling their forced labour products elsewhere.

To finish, I want to dictate all my work in this file to the 28 million victims of this form of modern slavery. I am proud of the work of this Parliament.

  President. – The debate is closed. Thanks very much to the rapporteurs and to everybody who contributed in this debate. The vote will be held tomorrow.

Written statements (Rule 171)

  Ádám Kósa (NI), írásban. – A kényszermunka alkalmazása sajnos az egész világon elterjedt. A becslések szerint mintegy 27,6 millió ember végzett kényszermunkát 2021-ben. A társadalom kiszolgáltatott helyzetben lévő és marginalizálódott csoportjai, a nők, a gyermekek, az etnikai kisebbségek, a fogyatékossággal élő személyek, az alacsonyabb kasztba tartozók, az őslakos és törzsi népek, különösen gyakran kényszerülnek ilyen munkára. A kényszermunkával előállított termékek és szolgáltatások behozatalát meg kell tiltani, hogy gátat szabjunk az emberek kizsákmányolásának. Nem csukhatjuk be a szemünket, nem hivatkozhatunk arra, hogy nem ismerjük egy termék eredetét. Még ha nehéz is utánajárni annak, hogy alkalmaztak-e kényszermunkát egy termék készítésekor, ki kell használnunk minden eszközt, hogy jó lelkiismerettel mondhassuk el: nem vagyunk részesei kiszolgáltatott emberek, gyermekek és fogyatékossággal élők kizsákmányolásáért. Mindannyiuknak jár a tisztességes foglalkoztatás és a munkajog kínálta védelem! Mert ha jogszerű, tisztességes munka van, akkor minden van!