Under the new regulation rubber-stamped on Tuesday and expected to come into force in 2027 pending final approval of member states, national authorities will be able to launch investigations into products with suspected links to forced labor, and ban such products from the EU market.
Products made from forced labor found to be already on the EU market will be donated, recycled or destroyed, and companies failing to enforce the rules will face proportionate and dissuasive fines, to be defined by the member states.
"This is good news for consumers, and also for European companies, which are currently suffering from imports dumping from regions with forced labor," said Green MEP Anna Cavazzini ahead of the vote.
The move aims to curb a worrying trend of cheap products made from forced labor permeating throughout the EU market, as well as an increase in the number of people in forced labor and a boom in illegal profits over the past decade.
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