62 Amendments of Romana TOMC related to 2022/0269(COD)
Amendment 128 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10 a (new)
Recital 10 a (new)
(10a) As a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Union is committed to promoting a rules-based, open, multilateral trading system under the WTO. Any measures introduced by the Union that affect trade must be WTO compliant. Further, all measures introduced by the Union that affect trade must take into account the possible response of the Union’s trade partners and ensure that the enforcement of the measure is not perceived as a unilateral protectionist measure.
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18 a (new)
Recital 18 a (new)
(18a) Taking into account that this Regulation breaches the European Parliament's and Commission's interinstitutional agreement on Better Law-Making by excluding an impact assessment, and thus lacks significant estimates needed to evaluate cost-benefit, the one-in, one-out principle, and WTO compatibility amongst other things, the Commission should create an impact assessment six months after the Regulation's entry into force. The Commission should also submit a comprehensive report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the impact of the Regulation, three years after its applicability. The report shall evaluate the effectiveness of this Regulation in reaching its objectives, in particular, its impact on the eradication of forced labour.
Amendment 151 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18 b (new)
Recital 18 b (new)
(18b) Given that this Regulation will impose additional compliance costs on economic operators, action needs to be taken to prevent the total level of regulatory and financial burden from increasing. Therefore, in line with the Commission's Better Regulation agenda, and the 'one in, one out' principle, the Commission should present, before the application of this Regulation, proposals offsetting the regulatory and financial burdens introduced by this Regulation, through the revision or abolishment of provisions in other Union legislative acts that generate compliance costs for economic operators.
Amendment 170 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) Before initiating an investigation, competent authorities should request from the economic operators under assessment information on actions taken to mitigate, prevent or bring to an end risks of forced labour in their operations and valuesupply chains with respect to the products under assessment. Carrying out such due diligence in relation to forced labour should help the economic operator to be at a lower risk of having forced labour in its operations and valuesupply chains. Appropriate due diligence means that forced labour issues in the valuesupply chain have been identified and addressed in accordance with relevant Union legislation and international standards. That implies that where the competent authority considers that there is no substantiated concern of a violation of the prohibition, for instance due to, but not limited to the applicable legislation, guidelines, recommendations or any other due diligence in relation to forced labour being applied in a way that mitigates, prevents and brings to an end the risk of forced labour, no investigation should be initiated.
Amendment 173 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) In order to ensure cooperation among competent authorities designated under this and other relevant legislation and in order to ensure consistency in their actions and decisions, competent authorities designated under this Regulation should request information from other relevant authorities, where necessary, on whether economic operators under assessment are subject to and carry out due diligence in relation to forced labour in accordance with applicable Union legislation or Member States legislation setting out due diligence and transparency requirements with respect to forced labour. When requesting information from economic operators, competent authorities should follow the Commission’s Once-Only principle, through increased cooperation and dialogue between authorities who are engaged in overseeing product regulation. An economic operator should not have to submit the same information more than once.
Amendment 185 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) During the preliminary phase of investigation, competent authorities should focus on the economic operators involved in the steps of the valuesupply chain where there is a higher risk of forced labour with respect to the products under investigation, also taking into account their size and economic resources, the quantity of products concerned and the scale of the suspected forced labour.
Amendment 188 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) Competent authorities, when requesting information during the investigation, should prioritise to the extent possible and consistent with the effective conduct of the investigation the economic operators under investigation that are involved in the steps of the valuesupply chain as close as possible to where the likely risk of forced labour occurs and take into account the size and economic resources of the economic operators, the quantity of products concerned, as well as the scale of suspected forced labour.
Amendment 204 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 27
Recital 27
(27) Competent authorities that establish that economic operators violated the prohibition, should without delay prohibit the placing and making available of such products on the Union market and their export from the Union, and require the economic operators that have been investigated to withdraw the relevant products already made available from the Union market and have them recycled, or should this not be possible destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law, including Union legislation on waste management. Agricultural products that cannot be recycled, should be donated, or, should this not be possible, destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law, including Union legislation on waste management.
Amendment 219 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 30
Recital 30
(30) If the economic operators fail to comply with the decision of the competent authorities by the end of the established timeframe, the competent authorities should ensure that the relevant products are prohibited from being placed or made available on the Union market, exported or withdrawn from the Union market and that any such products remaining with the relevant economic operators are recycled, or should this not be possible destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law, including Union legislation on waste management at the expense of the economic operators. Agricultural products that cannot be recycled, should be donated, or, should this not be possible, destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law, including Union legislation on waste management.
Amendment 238 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 33
Recital 33
(33) The Commission should issue guidelines in order to facilitate the implementation of the prohibition by economic operators and competent authorities. Such guidelines should include guidance on due diligence in relation to forced labour and complementary information for the competent authorities to implement the prohibition. The guidance on due diligence in relation to forced labour should build on the Guidance on due diligence for Union businesses to address the risk of forced labour in their operations and supply chains published by the Commission and the European External Action Service in July 2021. The guidelines should be consistent with other Commission guidelines in this regard and relevant international organisations’ guidelines. The guidelines should include sectoral guidance such as the garment and textile sector, agri-sector and automotive sector, as well as type of supplier such as wholesale, manufacture or smallholder farm. The reports from international organisations, in particular the ILO, as well as other independent and verifiable sources of information should be considered for the identification of risk indicators.
Amendment 256 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 37
Recital 37
(37) Where the competent authorities conclude that a product corresponds to a decision establishing a violation of the prohibition, they should immediately inform customs authorities which should refuse its release for free circulation or export. The product should be recycled, or should this not be possible destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law, including legislation on waste management, which excludes re-export in case of non-Union goods. . Agricultural products that cannot be recycled, should be donated, or, should this not be possible, destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law, including legislation on waste management.
Amendment 263 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 37 a (new)
Recital 37 a (new)
(37a) The Commission should take into due consideration the risk of disengagement by economic operators who are either related to products, regions or production sites in the data base, or who have had their product removed from the Union market, as well as the consequences on affected workers. The Commission should therefore, where appropriate, support economic operators in adopting and carrying out measures suitable and effective for bringing forced labour to an end.
Amendment 272 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 42 a (new)
Recital 42 a (new)
(42a) With acknowledgment of current developments in traceability technology and the use of blockhain to facilitate monitoring of supply chains, the Commission should support economic operators in the uptake of such technology, including through financial and technical assistance.
Amendment 282 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 45
Recital 45
(45) Since forced labour is a global problem and given the interlinkages of the global value chains, it is necessary to promote international cooperation against forced labour, which would also improve the efficiency of applying and enforcing the prohibition. The Commission should as appropriately cooperate with and exchange information with authorities of third countries and international organisations to create enabling environments to promote and protect human rights, including capacity building to support workers and local communities in their efforts to root out forced labour from global supply chains and enhance the effective implementation of the prohibition. International cooperation with authorities of non-EU countries should take place in a structured way as part of the existing dialogue structures, for example Human Rights Dialogues with third countries, or, if necessary, specific ones that will be created on an ad hoc basis. The Commission should further integrate this Regulation with existing trade measures such as free trade agreements and the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, to enhance the cumulative effect of EU trade measures in eradicating forced labour. This means that in the case where a product has been found to have forced labour, it cannot qualify for GSP tariff reduction. Furthermore, if third country authorities are found to be non-cooperative, or not taking measures to end forced labour within their national borders, the Commission should evaluate whether they should benefit from existing GSP trade facilitation. The Commission should ensure coherence and synergies between relevant external policies, in particular development cooperation and projects focusing on the eradication of forced labour.
Amendment 291 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1
Article 1 – paragraph 1
1. This Regulation lays down rules prohibiting economic operators from placing and making available on the Union market or exporting from the Union market products made with forced labour. This Regulation contributes to the fight against forced labour and promotes corporate sustainability due diligence standards.
Amendment 298 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 2
Article 1 – paragraph 2
2. This Regulation shall not cover the withdrawal of products which have reached the end-users in the Union market, or been transformed or integrated into another product and constitute minor component of the final product.
Amendment 334 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point h
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point h
(h) ‘economic operator’ means any natural or legal person or association of personsbusiness with more than 1000 employees on average and a worldwide net turnover exceeding EUR 150 million in the financial year preceding the last financial year who is placing or making available products on the Union market or exporting products;
Amendment 352 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point n
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point n
(n) ‘substantiated concern’ means a well-founded reason, based on objective, factual and verifiable information, for the competent authorities to suspect that products were likely made with forced labour;
Amendment 355 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point r – point 1 (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point r – point 1 (new)
1) 'supply chain' means the network of organizations that cooperate to transform raw materials into finished goods (including the extraction, harvest, production or manufacturing)
Amendment 373 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. Competent authorities shall follow a risk-based approach in assessing the likelihood that economic operators violated Article 3. That assessment shall be based on all relevant, factual and verifiable information available to them, including the following information:
Amendment 385 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2
Article 4 – paragraph 2
2. In their assessment of the likelihood that economic operators violated Article 3, competent authorities shall focus on the economic operators involved in the steps of the valuesupply chain as close as possible to where the risk of forced labour is likely to occur and take into account the size and economic resources of the economic operators, the quantity of products concerned, the complexity of the supply chain as well as the scale of suspected forced labour.
Amendment 393 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 3 – introductory part
Article 4 – paragraph 3 – introductory part
3. Before initiating an investigation in accordance with Article 5(1), the competent authority shall request from the economic operators under assessment information on actions taken to identify, prevent, mitigate or bring to an end risks of forced labour in their operations and valuesupply chains with respect to the products under assessment, including on the basis of any of the following:
Amendment 394 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 3 – point a a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 3 – point a a (new)
(aa) any industry scheme, third-party audit or certification from the economic operators' suppliers that guarantees the absence of forced labour;
Amendment 399 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 4
Article 4 – paragraph 4
4. Economic operators shall respond to the request of the competent authority referred to in paragraph 3 within 1530 working days from the day they received such request or make a justified request for an extension of that time limit. Economic operators may provide to competent authorities any other information they may deem useful for the purposes of this Article.
Amendment 424 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 6
Article 4 – paragraph 6
6. The competent authority shall duly take into account where the economic operator demonstrates that it carries out due diligence on the basis of identified forced labour impact in its supply chain, adopts and carries out measures suitable and effective for bringing to an end forced labour in a short period of timetheir supply chain.
Amendment 458 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 3 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 3 – point a
(a) prioritise the economic operators under investigation involved in the steps of the valuesupply chain as close as possible to where the likely risk of forced labour occurs and
Amendment 462 #
(b) take into account the size and economic resources of the economic operators, the quantity of products concerned, the complexity of the supply chain as well as the scale of suspected forced labour.
Amendment 476 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5
Article 5 – paragraph 5
5. When deciding on the time limits referred to in this Article, competent authorities shall consider the size and economic resources of the economic operators concerned as well as the complexity of the supply chain.
Amendment 488 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1
Article 6 – paragraph 1
1. Competent authorities shall assess all information and evidence gathered pursuant to Articles 4 and 5 and, on that basis, establish and duly motivate whether Article 3 has been violated, within a reasonable period of time from the date they initiated the investigation pursuant to Article 5(1).
Amendment 492 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Article 6 – paragraph 2
Amendment 505 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – point a
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – point a
(a) a prohibition to place or make the products or product component concerned available on the Union market and to export them;
Amendment 508 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – point b
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – point b
(b) an order for the economic operators that have been subject to the investigation to withdraw from the Union market the relevant products or product component that have already been placed or made available on the market;
Amendment 512 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – point c
Article 6 – paragraph 4 – point c
(c) an order for the economic operators that have been subject to the investigation to dispose of the respective products in accordance with national law consistent with Union law or to remove or replace the component of the product that was made with forced labour.
Amendment 542 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 6
Article 6 – paragraph 6
6. Where competent authorities establish that economic operators have provided evidence to the competent authorities that they have complied with the decision referred to in paragraph 4, and that they have eliminatedadopted appropriate measures to address the risk of forced labour fromin their operations or supply chain or remediated forced labour cases in compliance with the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 with respect to the products concerned, the competent authorities shall withdraw their decision for the futurelift the market prohibition immediately and inform the economic operators of this decision.
Amendment 553 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the findings of the investigation and the information underpinning the findings;evidence that justifies the decision.
Amendment 579 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 5
Article 8 – paragraph 5
5. Economic operators that have been affected by a decision of a competent authority pursuant to this Regulation shall have access to a court to review the procedural and substantive legality of the decision. Economic operators shall be entitled to compensation or damages for the prohibition, withdrawal or destruction of products arising from a wrongful decision by a competent authority.
Amendment 594 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – point g a (new)
(ga) any court decision to annul competent authority decision referred to in Article 8(5);
Amendment 598 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 2
Article 9 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission shall make available the decisions, and the withdrawals referred to in the paragraph 1, points (c), (d), (e), (g) and (ga) on a dedicated website.
Amendment 613 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2
Article 10 – paragraph 2
2. The competent authority shall, as soon as possible, diligently and impartially assess the information, including whether the claims are well-founded and, inform the person or association referred to in paragraph 1 of the outcome of the assessment of their submission.
Amendment 642 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2
Article 11 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission shall ensure that the database is made publicly available by the external expertise at the latest 124 months after the entry into forcebefore the application of this Regulation.
Amendment 645 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3
Article 11 – paragraph 3
3. Economic operators placing or making available on the Union market or exporting products which are not mentioned in the database referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, or which come from areas that are not mentioned in that database, shall also be required to comply with Article 3in line with Article 4, risk-based approach shall not be considered to have a high risk of violating Article 3, unless serious proof of the contrary is available.
Amendment 661 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 6 a (new)
Article 12 – paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Member States shall confer on their competent authorities the necessary powers to issue an order requiring the providers of online marketplaces to remove products made with forced labour from their online interface, to disable access to it or to display an explicit warning. Such orders shall be issued in accordance with the minimum conditions set out in Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065.
Amendment 692 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) within 4 working days of the suspension, if the competent authorities have not requested the customs authorities to maintain the suspension. In case of perishable products, animals and plants that time limit shall be 2 working days;
Amendment 706 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 20 – paragraph 1
Article 20 – paragraph 1
Where the release for free circulation or export of a product has been refused in accordance with Article 19, customs authorities shall take the necessary measures to ensure that the product concerned is disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union lawrecycled, or should this not be possible destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law, including Union legislation on waste management. Agricultural products that cannot be recycled, should be donated, or, should this not be possible destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law accordance. Articles 197 and 198 of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 shall apply accordingly.
Amendment 734 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) guidance to the economic operator on due diligence in relation to forced labour, which shall take into account applicable Union legislation setting out due diligence requirements with respect to forced labour, guidelines and recommendations from international organisations, as well as the size and economic resources of economic operators; , different types of suppliers along the supply chain, different sectors and the particular risks associated with forced labour imposed by state authorities. The guidance shall also include advice on how to identify indicators of forced labour in different areas of the supply chain;
Amendment 740 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point a a (new)
(aa) guidance to the economic operators on measures which are suitable and effective for bringing to an end different types of forced labour;
Amendment 741 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) information on risk indicators of forced labour, including a clear distinction for evaluation between forced labour risks in the private sector and risk of state-imposed forced labour, which shall be based on independent and verifiable information, including reports from international organisations, in particular the International Labour Organization, civil society, business organisations, and experience from implementing Union legislation setting out due diligence requirements with respect to forced labour;
Amendment 747 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) further information to facilitate the competent authorities’ implementation of this Regulation; which includes guidelines regarding the assessment of a notification and identification of indicators of forced labour in the pre-investigation phase and investigation phase. This includes benchmarks for the quantification of 'size of economic operator', 'resources of economic operators', 'quantity of products' and 'scale of forced labour' that will be assessed in order to establish substantiated concern for initiating an investigation. These guidelines should be clearly interpretable to ensure that implementation and enforcement of the measure is horizontal across Member States. Where relevant, the Commission should offer capacity building and training for staff of Member States' competent authorities;
Amendment 750 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point d a (new)
(da) the guidelines should be consistent with guidance provided in accordance with relevant Union legislation;
Amendment 751 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e
(e) guidance for the practical implementation of Article 16 and, where appropriate, any other provision laid down in Chapter III of this Regulation, including with regard to the identification and evaluation of risks of forced labour linked to commodities sourced by economic operators through a mass balance approach.
Amendment 757 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 a (new)
Article 23 a (new)
Article23a Specific provisions for SMEs 1. SMEs shall be given special support and guidance in adapting to this Regulation. 2. This support and guidance shall include: a) SME-specific guidelines with due diligence checklist and toolkit on preventing forced labour b) capacity-building, training programme and administrative and technical support on the assessment and the prevention of forced labour; c) support in their outreach to relevant suppliers and other actors;
Amendment 759 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 1
Article 24 – paragraph 1
1. A Union Network Against Forced Labour Products (‘the Network’) is established. The Network shall serve as a platform for structured coordination and cooperation between the competent authorities of the Member States and the Commission, and to streamline the practices of enforcement of this Regulation as well as other relevant due diligence legislation within the Union, thereby making enforcement more effective and coherent.
Amendment 774 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f
(f) to promote the cooperation and exchange of expertise and best practices between competent authorities and customs authorities; as well as international organisations such as the World Customs Organisation and National Contact Points for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The Network shall also maintain regular contact with the Commission's relevant services to receive relevant information from other EU initiatives that support the eradication of forced labour.
Amendment 779 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f a (new)
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f a (new)
(fa) identify discrepancies between enforcement at the level of different EU Member States;
Amendment 781 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f b (new)
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f b (new)
Amendment 789 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 a (new)
Article 24 a (new)
Article24a Support The Network shall support economic operators under investigation to undertake corrective action in line with Article 4(6) and Article 6(6) where the risk of forced labour has been identified to: a) correct the potential risk of forced labour before launching an investigation and b) avoid the last resort of disengagement if the economic operator is deemed violating Article 3. This shall include having dialogue with authorities operating in the region where forced labour has been identified as well as on national level. In the case where disengagement must take effect and economic operators become victim to a third country punitive measure, the Commission shall provide political, administrative or financial support.
Amendment 796 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 1
Article 26 – paragraph 1
1. In order to facilitate effective implementation and enforcement of this Regulation, the Commission mayshall, as appropriate cooperate, engage and exchange information with, amongst others, authorities of third countries, international organisations, civil society representatives and business organisations. The Commission shall have regular contact and cooperation with countries that have similar legislation in place, to share information of risk products or regions as well as best practices for bringing to an end forced labour. International cooperation with authorities of third countries shall take place in a structured way as part of the existing dialogue structures with third countries or, if necessary, specific ones that will be created on an ad hoc basis.
Amendment 806 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Article 26 – paragraph 2 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Cooperation with third countries shall be integrated with other EU policies and instruments that include measures to eradicate forced labour, including free trade agreements, the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, and development cooperation projects led by the Commission.
Amendment 811 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 27 a (new)
Article 27 a (new)
Article27a Regulatory monitoring and adjustment The Commission shall present, before the application of this Regulation, in line with the 'one in, one out' principle, proposals offsetting the regulatory and financial burdens introduced by this Regulation through the revision or abolishment of provisions in other Union legislative acts that generate compliance costs for economic operators.
Amendment 821 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 – paragraph 3
Article 30 – paragraph 3
3. The Member States shall, by [OP enter DATE = 2430 months from its entry into force of this Regulation], notify those provisions to the Commission, where they have not previously been notified, and shall notify it, without delay, of any subsequent amendment affecting them.
Amendment 827 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 a (new)
Article 30 a (new)
Amendment 831 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 31 a (new)
Article 31 a (new)