In February 2022, the European Commission committed to preparing a new legislative instrument to “effectively ban products made by forced labour from entering the EU market”.
The European Commission has since committed to publishing its proposal for this instrument in September 2022, and in May 2022 published its Call for Evidence for this proposal, committing to a ban which would cover both domestic (EU) and imported products. On 9 June 2022, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution, which advocates strongly for a new trade instrument to ban products made by forced labour.
Anti-Slavery International and the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) welcome these developments with a view to ensure that goods made or transported in-whole or in-part with forced labour, including forced labour of children, cannot be sold in the European Union.
This contribution builds on Anti-Slavery International and ECCHR’s experience in working with partners based in countries with a high prevalence of forced labour which are linked to supply chains of products sold in the EU. Furthermore, this contribution builds on the lessons learnt from existing import control measures in the USA, and analysis of current gaps in EU legislation.