The EU carries out the rule that vetoes the import of products made with forced labor

This legislature, the European Union has deployed legislation with which it pursues a certain reciprocity in its trade relations and, at the same time, aligns it with its values ​​and environmental objectives. The last link in this chain was the approval this Tuesday in the European Parliament of the rule that vetoes the entry into the single market of products manufactured with forced labor. The vote has reached a very large majority of 555 votes in favor with only six against and 45 abstentions. The approved text allows the European Commission to investigate cases in which forced labor is suspected outside the EU and the competent authorities are empowered to withdraw these products from the market or confiscate them at the borders.

This regulation joins others that seek to rebalance elements of the EU’s trade relations, such as the border carbon adjustment mechanism, which was definitively carried out a year ago and which, starting in 2026, will apply a tariff to imported products that are have been manufactured with less demanding climatic requirements than in the Union. Along the same lines are other regulations such as the one that seeks to stop deforestation, which requires that products arriving from outside third countries do not come from deforested areas after 2020. Both, in addition, are in line with the environmental values ​​that have been promoted Brussels in this last legislature.

In the case of the directive against forced labor, the initial considerations of the text point out that “the eradication of forced labor, in all its forms, including forced labor imposed by the State, is a priority for the Union.” This clarification that points to the “tax by the State” points directly to China, the country that may also receive the direct impact on its exports to the EU when these rules begin to be fully applied. According to the numbers used during the processing of the regulation, in 2021 there were around 28 million people forced to work in the world.

“Member State authorities and the European Commission will be able to investigate suspicious goods, supply chains and manufacturers. If a product is deemed to have been manufactured using forced labour, it will no longer be possible to sell it on the EU market (including online) and shipments will be intercepted at EU borders,” notes the statement issued by Parliament after your vote.

When starting an investigation, it is expected to have the information that “international organizations, cooperating authorities and complainants” can provide. “Several risk factors and criteria will be taken into account, such as the prevalence of forced labor imposed by the State in certain economic sectors and geographical areas,” the same text states.

“Europe cannot export values ​​and import products made with forced labor. We must end modern slavery. There are 28 million exploited people in the world, 1.5 million within the EU. “The rule will force all companies that use forced labor at any point in their supply chain to have their products removed from the EU and confiscated,” recalled the Spanish MEP Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero, from the PSOE.

“We have adopted pioneering legislation to combat forced labor around the world. This regulation encourages international and EU cooperation, shifts power from exploiters to consumers and employees, and offers recourse to victims. It also transforms trade policies into a more ecological and fair future,” said one of the speakers of the regulation, MEP Samira Rafaela, belonging to the Renew liberals.