Prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market

This procedure would prohibit products made with forced labour on the Union market. It runs under the ordinary legislative procedure, where Parliament and the Council of the EU legislate jointly to adopt binding EU law. Six committees, including Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Employment and Social Affairs, and Internal Market and Consumer Protection, handled it, covering fundamental rights, workers' rights, human rights in the world and trade defence. The amendments cite ILO conventions and estimate 27.6 million people in forced labour in 2021, highlight the textile, clothing, leather and footwear sector, and link the file to corporate sustainability due diligence and the Global Europe instrument. Others address competent authorities' risk-based investigations, the burden of proof on economic operators, remedy for affected workers, and lighter requirements for SMEs.