Prohibition of Products Made with Forced Labour on the EU market

The European Commission has proposed a prohibition on making products made with forced labour available on the EU market as well as exporting such products from EU. The proposal will not be aimed at specific companies or industries, and all products will be within the scope of the prohibition. Further, it will apply to both imports, exports and products made within the EU, manufactured by any natural or legal persons.

The proposal introduces a two-phase investigation process with a preliminary phase and an actual investigation phase of concerned companies and products. If products are found to have been made with forced labour, national authorities shall adopt a decision containing a prohibition to make the product available and to export it as well as an order forcing the economic operators to withdraw the product. National authorities shall use a risk-based approach and focus their enforcement efforts on areas where it will have the best effect.

The proposal shall be seen in connection with the proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD) adopted by the European Commission in February. The CSDD Directive will set a framework to promote companies’ contribution to the respect for human rights and environment. Read more about the CSDD Directive at Mazanti Pulse.

The proposal is available here.