EU bans products made by forced laborers: “We can now take a stand against China’s exploitation of Uyghur forced laborers” | Abroad

Products found to have been made by forced labor after investigation will be destroyed, recycled or donated. The companies in question are threatened with a fine. These companies will be able to put their products back on the European market once they can prove that forced labor has been removed from their supply chains. The decisions to conduct research will be based on information from international organizations, cooperating governments or whistleblowers.

Worldwide, approximately 27.6 billion people are said to be in forced labor. Forced labor is work demanded of a person under threat of punishment, against his or her will. Clothing and smartphone batteries, among others, are high-risk sectors.

“We can now take a stand against China that exploits Uyghur forced laborers and companies that use modern slavery in their supply chain,” said European Parliament member Sara Matthieu (Green) about the new agreement. Once Member States approve the proposal, they will have three years to effectively apply the rules.