Activities of Heidi HAUTALA related to 2022/0269(COD)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market
Legal basis opinions (0)
Amendments (159)
Amendment 40 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) As recognised in the Preamble to the 2014 Protocol to Convention No. 29 on forced labour (‘ILO Convention No. 29’) of the International Labour Organization (‘ILO’), forced labour constitutes a serious violation of human dignity and fundamental human rights. The ILO declared the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour as a principle concerning the fundamental rights. The ILO classifies ILO Convention No. 29, the 2014 Protocol to Convention No. 29 and the ILO Convention No.105 on the abolition of forced labour (‘ILO Convention No.105’) as fundamental ILO Conventions16 . Forced labour covers a wide variety of coercive labour practices where work or service, such as transportation, storage or cleaning, is exacted from any persons that have not offered it the under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered herself or himselvesf voluntarily.17 __________________ 16 https://www.ilo.org/global/standards/introd uction-to-international-labour- standards/conventions-and- recommendations/lang--en/index.htm. 17 The ILO definition of forced labour according to the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1920 (No. 29), What is forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking (Forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking) (ilo.org).
Amendment 43 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 2
Recital 2
(2) The use of forced labour is widespread in the world. It is estimated that about 27.6 million people were in forced labour in 2021.18 Vulnerable and marginalised groups in a society, such as women, children, migrants (in particular if they are undocumented or with a precarious status or in the informal economy), ethnic minorities, lower castes, indigenous and tribal peoples, are particularly susceptible to be pressured into performing forced labour. Even when it is not state imposed, forced labour is often a consequence of a lack of good governance of certain economic operators. __________________ 18 The 2021 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public /---ed_norm/--- ipec/documents/publication/wcms_854733. pdf.
Amendment 47 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 3
Recital 3
(3) The prohibition of the use of forced or compulsory labour in all its forms is considered as a peremptory norm of international law on human rights. It is of an absolutely binding nature from which no exception is permitted. The eradication of forced labour is therefore a priority for the Union. Respect for human dignity and the universality and indivisibility of human rights are firmly enshrined in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union. Article 5(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union andexplicitly prohibits slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour and trafficking in human beings. Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights provide that no one is to be required to perform forced or compulsory labour. The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly interpreted Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights as requiring Member States to penalise and effectively prosecute any act maintaining a person in the situations described set out in Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights.19 The Charter of Fundamental Rights recognises the right to every worker to fair and just working conditions in its Article 31 and the right to an effective remedy in its Article 47. The European Social Charter (1961) and the Revised European Social Charter (1996), adopted by the Council of Europe on 18 October 1961 and 3 May 1996 respectively, require contracting parties ‘to protect effectively the right of the worker to earn [her/his] living in an occupation freely entered upon’. __________________ 19 For instance paras. 89 and 102 in Siliadin v. France or para. 105 in Chowdury and Others v. Greece.
Amendment 51 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) All Member States have ratified the fundamental ILO Conventions on forced labour and child labour.20 They are therefore legally obliged to prevent and eliminate the use of forced labour and to report regularly to the ILOHowever, there are nine Member States which have not yet ratified the 2014 Protocol to Convention No. 29 and should do so without any delay. Moreover, there continue to be shortcomings in the implementation of the fundamental ILO Conventions. It is necessary that Member States fully implement them and correctly transpose all the Union legislation aimed at combating forced labour, labour rights violations and human trafficking in order to enforce the import and export ban of any product or service using forced labour. This Regulation aims to legally bind Member States to prevent and eliminate the use of forced labour, to provide to victims protection and access to appropriate and effective remedies, to sanction the perpetrators of forced or compulsory labour and to report regularly to the ILO. In that regard, the 2014 Protocol to Convention No. 29 stipulates that all victims irrespective of their presence or legal status in the national territory should have access to appropriate and effective remedies. The third pillar of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights stipulates that remediation is a fundamental right which can take the form of rehabilitation, financial or non-financial compensation, punitive sanction or prevention of harm through injunctions or guarantees of non- repetition. Article 6(6) of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children obliges its State Parties to ensure that victims of human trafficking obtain compensation for damages suffered. Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council requires Member States to ensure that victims of human trafficking have access to compensation. __________________ 20 https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public /---europe/---ro-geneva/---ilo- brussels/documents/publication/wcms_195 135.pdf.
Amendment 55 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) Through its policies and legislative initiatives the Union seeks to eradicate the use of forced labour and promote decent work and labour rights worldwide. The Union promotes due diligence in accordance with international guidelines and principles established by international organisations, including the ILO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (hereinafter “OECD”) and the United Nations (hereinafter “UN”), to ensure that forced labour does not find a place in the value chains of undertakings established in the Union.
Amendment 66 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) In order to ensure the effectiveness of the prohibition, such prohibition should apply to products for which forced labour has been used at any stage of their production, manufacture, transport or storage, harvest and extraction, including working or processing related to the products. The prohibition should apply to all products, of any type, including their components, and should apply to products regardless of the sector, the origin, whether they are domestic or imported, or placed or made available on the Union market or exported.
Amendment 91 #
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 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. Promoting the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining and the involvement of the social partners in all measures to combat forced labour are essential factors to combat forced and compulsory labour. The EU delegations in third countries should have a central role within the aim of effectively eradicating forced labour as well as for dissemination of this Regulation and possibility of third parties to provide information on the existence of forced labour in relation to a determined product.
Amendment 93 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) ‘forced labour’ means forced or compulsory labour as defined in Article 2 of the Convention on Forced Labour, 1930 (No. 29) of the International Labour Organization, including forced child labour; it includes work and services in the complete value chain, from the raw material to the end products’ distribution, including in the transportation or storage, exacted from any person, under the threat of a penalty, which is not offered voluntarily;
Amendment 94 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) ‘forced labour imposed by state authorities’ means the use of forced labour as described in Article 1 of the Convention on the Abolition of Forced Labour, 1957 (No. 105) of the International Labour Organization; it includes in particular forced labour imposed: (i) as a means of political coercion or education or as a punishment for holding or expressing political views or views ideologically opposed to the established political, social or economic system; (ii) as a method of mobilising and using labour for purposes of economic development; (iii) as a means of labour discipline; (iv) as a punishment for having participated in strikes; or (v) as a means of discrimination based on race, social or national origins, religious beliefs, caste, disability, gender or sexual orientation;
Amendment 97 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) ‘due diligence in relation to forced labour’ means the efforts by economic operator to implement mandatory requirements, voluntary guidelines, recommendations or practices to identify, prevent, mitigate or bring to an end the use of forced labour in their operations and value chain with respect to products and services that are to be made available on the Union market, imported or to be exported; any due diligence of the importer or economic operator in the value chain shall only be relevant insofar as it relates to evidence of remediation;
Amendment 101 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) ‘meaningful engagement with workers and stakeholders’ means an interactive, responsive, ongoing and gender-inclusive process of engagement with potentially affected suppliers, workers and their representative organisations, as well as other stakeholders, such as civil society organisations and local communities, with particular attention to especially vulnerable stakeholders, such as workers who are undocumented or in the informal economy, smallholders, and indigenous peoples; it includes the engagement of economic operators with the genuine intention to understand how relevant stakeholders’ interests are affected by their activities; it also includes the engagement of competent authorities with stakeholders prior to taking decisions that may impact the stakeholders, and the consideration of stakeholders’ interests; it also involves the timely provision of all information needed by the potentially impacted stakeholders to make an informed judgment on how the decision could affect them, and it shall ensure follow-through on the implementation of agreed commitments, ensuring that adverse impacts to impacted and potentially impacted stakeholders are addressed;
Amendment 103 #
(cb) ‘remediation’ refers both to the processes of providing remedy for an adverse impact on human rights, and to the substantive outcomes that can counteract, or make good, the adverse impact, including: restitution, rehabilitation, financial or non-financial compensation (including establishing compensation funds for victims), punitive sanctions (whether criminal or administrative, such as fines), as well as prevention of harm through, for example, injunctions or guarantees of non- repetition, and where accompanied by one or more of the other measures, apologies. Remediation shall be provided according to the context and needs of each victim of forced labour;
Amendment 107 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
(ma) ‘stakeholders’ means: (i) workers and other individuals, groups, communities, trade unions, worker representatives or entities whose rights or interests are or could be affected by the forced labour as used by an economic operator, its subsidiaries or its business relationships; (ii) other legal or natural persons defending human rights (‘human rights defenders’), including individuals, groups and organs of society that promote and protect universally recognised human rights and fundamental freedoms and labour conventions, including the rights of workers, trade unions, indigenous peoples or other vulnerable stakeholders; and (iii) organisations whose statutory purpose is the defence of human rights;
Amendment 108 #
(3) The eradication of forced labour is a priority for the Union. Respect for human dignity and the universality and indivisibility of human rights are firmly enshrined in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union. Article 5(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights provide that no one is to be required to perform forced or compulsory labour. The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly interpreted Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights as requiring Member States to penalise and effectively prosecute any act maintaining a person in the situations described set out in Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights.19The right of victims to an effective remedy for business-related human rights violations or abuses, including forced labour, is recognised in Union law, the UN Guiding Principles on the Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the Council of Europe and the OECD. _________________ 19 For instance paras. 89 and 102 in Siliadin v. France or para. 105 in Chowdury and Others v. Greece.
Amendment 110 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point u a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point u a (new)
(ua) ‘root causes of forced labour’ means at the level of a country or region, the issues of economic exploitation, poverty, systemic discrimination, and the lack of regular and decent labour migration pathways among others. At the level of an economic operator, it includes prices below the cost of production, the lack of living incomes and living wages and more generally any unfair purchasing practices;
Amendment 114 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 5
Recital 5
(5) Through its policies and legislative initiatives the Union seeks to eradicate the use of forced labour and promote decent work and labour rights worldwide. The Union promotes due diligence in accordance with international guidelines and principles established by international organisations, including the ILO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (hereinafter “OECD”) and the United Nations (hereinafter “UN”), to ensure that forced labour does not find a place in the value chains of undertakings established in the Union.
Amendment 121 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6 b (new)
Recital 6 b (new)
(6b) The 2021 EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child foresees that the EU will insist on third countries to update regularly national lists of hazardous occupations children should never be tasked to do. The Durban Call to Action on the Elimination of Child Labour recalls the commitments of UN members to strengthen the prevention and elimination of child labour, including its worst forms, forced labour, modern slavery and trafficking in persons and to increase financing and international cooperation for the elimination of child labour and forced labour. ILO Convention No. 138 requires Member States to create a national policy designed to ensure the effective abolition of child labour.
Amendment 124 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) [In particular, Directive 20XX/XX/EU on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence sets out horizontal due diligence obligations to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for actual and potential adverse impacts on human rights, including forced labour, and the environment in the company’s own operations, its subsidiaries and in its value chains, in accordance with international human and labour rights standards and environmental conventions. Those obligations apply to large companies over a certain threshold in terms of number of employees and net turnover, and to smaller companies in high-impact sectors over a certain threshold in terms of number of employees and net turnover.22] _________________ 22 Directive 20XX/XX/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937, OJ XX, XX.XX.20XX, p. XX.
Amendment 139 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 16
Recital 16
(16) In order to ensure the effectiveness of the prohibition, such prohibition should apply to products for which forced labour has been used at any stage of their production, manufacture, harvest and extraction, including working or, processing, storage, packaging, transportation or distribution related to the products. The prohibition should apply to all products, of any type, including their components, and should apply to products regardless of the sector, the origin, whether they are domestic or imported, or placed or made available on the Union market or exported.
Amendment 141 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – title
Article 10 – title
Amendment 142 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 1
Article 10 – paragraph 1
1. Submissions of information by any natural or legal person or any association not having legal personality, to competent authorities on alleged violations of Article 3The Commission shall establish a centralised complaint mechanism to receive complaints and information regarding alleged or suspected forced labour, taking place within or outside the Union, from any natural or legal person, including workers or others affected or potentially affected by forced labour, civil society organisations including trade unions, affected communities, and any other individual or group that may have information regarding goods which are alleged or suspected to be made by forced labour. Complaints shall contain information on the economic operators or products concerned and provide the reasons substantiating the allegation.
Amendment 145 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 18
Recital 18
(18) Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (’SMEs’) can have limited resources and ability to ensure that the products they place or make available on the Union market are free from forced labour. The Commission should therefore issue guidelines on due diligence in relation to forced labour, which should take into account also the size and economic resources of economic operators. In addition, the Commission should issue guidelines on forced-labour risk indicators and on publicly available information in order to help SMEs, as well as other economic operators, to comply with the requirements of the prohibition.
Amendment 146 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Complaints may be lodged anonymously and confidentially. The Commission and competent authorities shall ensure that all mechanisms through which workers who are victims or witness forced labour may lodge complaints and participate in relevant proceedings, allow them to do so without fearing retaliation of any sort, to enforce their rights and prerogatives, in particular their right to remediation under Article 10a of this Regulation and, when applicable, other EU legislation, without prejudice to Directive 2004/81/EC, Directive 2009/52/EC, Directive 2011/36/EU and Directive 2012/29/EU. These rights shall not be made conditional on the affected workers’ residence status, or on their citizenship or nationality.
Amendment 148 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 b (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 b (new)
The Commission shall determine the rules and procedure to assign complaints to the competent authorities. These rules shall take into account the specifics of the complaint, the domicile of the economic operator and the capacities of the competent authorities in concerned Member States. The Commission may retain the power to investigate, in particular when multiple Member States are involved, investigations in third countries are needed and when related to state-imposed forced labour and when the investigation concerns a supply chain present in more than one Member State.
Amendment 150 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2
Article 10 – paragraph 2
2. The competent authority shall, as soon as possible, inform the person or associationcomplainant referred to in paragraph 1 of the outcome of the assessment of their submissioncomplaint as well as all the decisions referred to in Article 9 and their rationale.
Amendment 150 #
(18a) Remedy is a crucial part of the human rights due diligence process under the UNGPs and is critical to ensuring that a Forced Labour Instrument has a positive impact for workers and holds corporations to account. Remedy will encourage workers to come forward and report abuse. Accordingly, this Regulation must ensure the provision of effective remedy to affected rightholders.
Amendment 152 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 19
Recital 19
(19) The competent authorities of the Member States should monitor the market to identify violations of the prohibition. In appointing those competent authorities, Member States should ensure that those authorities have sufficient human and financial resources and that their staff has the necessary competences and knowledge, especially with regard to human rights, labour rights, gender equality, value chain management and due diligence processes. Competent authorities should closely coordinate with national labour inspections and judicial and law enforcement authorities, including those responsible for the fight against trafficking in human beings in such a way as to avoid jeopardising investigations by such authorities.
Amendment 153 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 3
Article 10 – paragraph 3
3. Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council39 shall apply to the reporting of all breaches of this Regulation and the protection of persons reporting such breaches. Member States and the Commission shall ensure that the identity of the person reporting complaints, providing evidence, and of any individuals who are potentially being subjected to forced labour in terms of the complaint or investigation, is not disclosed to anyone beyond the authorised staff members without the explicit consent of the person. This shall also apply to any other information from which the identity of the reporting person may be directly or indirectly deduced. __________________ 39 Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of persons who report breaches of Union law, OJ L 305, 26.11.2019, p. 17.
Amendment 155 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 a (new)
Article 10 a (new)
Article 10a Remediation 1. Member States shall ensure access to remedy and effective remediation to victims whenever violations of Article 3 fall under the scope of their territory and/or jurisdiction. 2. Once it is launched under Article 5, an investigation shall also determine, in consultation with relevant stakeholders such as trade unions and non- governmental organisations, the appropriate remediation, prevention of future reoccurrence and mitigation measures. 3. Evidence of remediation shall be provided to the competent authority and to the Network, and it shall go beyond information provided by social audits and certification bodies. 4. Evidence of remediation measures shall include evidence of one or more of the following: (a) financial and non-financial compensation, including compensation based on the duration and extent of the forced labour, and any harms suffered; (b) restitution for the victims to restore their position before the forced labour took place, for example by returning their passport; (c) rehabilitation, for example by provision of treatment or counselling; (d) effective preventive measures and guarantees of non-reoccurrence of forced labour; and where it is accompanied by one or more of the above measures, apologies. 5. Competent authorities may lift the market prohibition once the economic operator proves that the forced labour has been remediated and that forced labour is no longer present and that processes have been put in place to prevent harms from continuing or taking place again in the future. Competent authorities shall inform the Network of such steps and outcome and the database under Article 11 shall be adapted accordingly without delay. 6. Competent authorities and the Network shall engage with relevant stakeholders, including persons that have been or are at risk of being subjected to forced labour and their representatives, prior to lifting any prohibition.
Amendment 155 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 20
Recital 20
Amendment 156 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1
Article 11 – paragraph 1
1. The Commission shall call upon external expertise to provide an indicative, non-exhaustive, verifiable and regularly updated database of forced labour risks in specific geographic areas or sectors or with respect to specific products and services including with regard to forced labour imposed by state authorities. The database shall be based on the guidelines referred to in Article 23, points (a), (b) and (c), and relevant external sources of information from, amongst others, international organisations and third country authorities, and from trade unions, civil society organisations, human rights defenders, and labour and work cooperatives. The customs authorities’ data such as origin, places of storage and transportation points of the products entering or leaving the Union market are crucial risk indicators. Such data shall be freely accessible to the public by means of the database. That database shall include a list of the specific geographical high-risk regions or countries where forced labour practices are systematic and widespread.
Amendment 159 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 a (new)
The Commission, after consultation with competent authorities and other stakeholders, shall be empowered to declare a presumption of forced labour for products or groups of products, from specified countries or regions where there is reasonable suspicion of wide-spread forced labour, including state-imposed forced labour, in an entire product group in a specific industry, as well as production sites or groups of production sites included in the database. This decision shall be encoded in the same database as a risk database area. In those specific areas, the economic operators shall prove their value chains are free from forced labour before their products may enter, move across or leave the Union market.
Amendment 160 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) When identifying potential violations of the prohibition, the Commission and competent authorities should follow a risk-based approach and assess all information available to them. CThe Commission and competent authorities should initiate an investigation where, based on their assessment of all available information, they establish that there is a substantiated concern of a violation of the prohibition.
Amendment 163 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2
Article 11 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission shall ensure that the database is made publicly availableeasily accessible and publicly available in multiples languages, by the external expertise at the latest 124 months after the entry into force of this Regulation.
Amendment 164 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 22
Recital 22
(22) Before initiatDuring an investigation, competent authorities shouldmay request from the economic operators under assessment information on actions taken to mitigate, prevent or, remediate and bring to an end risks of forced labour in their operations and value 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 value chains. Appropriate due diligence means that forced labour issues in the value 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 165 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. A public digital traceability system shall be put in place by the Commission to enable mapping and tracing of products’ supply chains and information exchange regarding the manufacture and transport of products and in order to facilitate the accessibility of the information for competent authorities to implement this Regulation. Member States shall require economic operators to publish on this digital system information relevant to the presence of forced labour, including location and type of production, relating to the operator’s own operations, subsidiaries, suppliers, sub-suppliers, contractors, and business partners in the whole supply chain, within the bounds of commercial confidentiality, privacy, and competition law. Economic operators and importers shall be required to input the relevant information and data in the format that is compatible with this digital system, as set out in implementing legislation. Member States shall ensure that data from their competent authorities are fed into the system on a continuous basis and ensure that such information is up to date.
Amendment 175 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 23
Recital 23
(23) In order to ensure cooperation among the Commission and 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.
Amendment 176 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) guidance on due diligence in relation to forced labour, including forced child 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 and existing collaborative multi-stakeholders experiences, as well as the size and economic resources of economic operators;
Amendment 177 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) information on risk indicators of forced labour, which shall be based on independent and verifiable information, including reports from international organisations, in particular the International Labour Organization, including the ‘Hard to See, Harder to Count’ guidance, civil society, business organisations, and experience from implementing Union legislation setting out due diligence requirements with respect to forced labour;
Amendment 182 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) guidelines to set up an economic mapping process;
Amendment 182 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) During the preliminary phase of investigation,investigation, the Commission and competent authorities should focus on the economic operators involved in the steps of the value chain where there is a higher risk of forced labourvalue chain 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 184 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e b (new)
(eb) guidance for stakeholders to file a complaint and participate in relevant proceedings;
Amendment 186 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e c (new)
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e c (new)
(ec) guidance on remediation measures;
Amendment 186 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) Competent authorities, when requesting information during the investigation, should prioritiseidentify to the extent possible and consistent with the effective conduct of the investigation the responsibilities of the economic operators under investigation that are involved in the steps of the value 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 operatorwith the highest leverage to prevent, mitigate, remediate and bring to an end the use of forced labour in their operations and value chains, the quantity of products concerned, as well as the scale of suspected forced labour.
Amendment 188 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e d (new)
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point e d (new)
(ed) guidance on meaningful stakeholder engagement;
Amendment 194 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point e a (new)
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point e a (new)
(ea) provide systematic information and recommendations to the Commission and the European External Action Service in case of detection of forced labour practices, involve the Union delegations, particularly in the specific geographical high-risk regions or countries where forced labour practices are systematic and widespread as listed in the database under Article 11, and monitor measures taken to support the implementation of this Regulation by addressing the root causes of forced labour;
Amendment 195 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f a (new)
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f a (new)
(fa) promote the cooperation and exchange of expertise and best practices with third countries and/or international entities;
Amendment 202 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 1
Article 26 – paragraph 1
1. In order to facilitate effective implementation and enforcement of this Regulation and to jointly work on eradicating the root causes of forced labour, the Commission mayshall as appropriate cooperate, engage and exchange information with, amongst others, authorities of third countries, international organisations, civil society representatives, including trade unions, workers’ rights organisations, NGOs and networks of affected stakeholders and business organisations. 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 202 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 26
Recital 26
(26) Competent authoritieEconomic operators should bear the burden of establishproving that forced labour has not been used at any stage of production, manufacture, harvest or extraction, storage, packaging, transportation or distribution of a product, including working or processing related to the product on the basis of all information and evidence gathered during the investigation, including its preliminary phase. To ensure their right to due process, economic operators should have the opportunity to provide information in their defence towhen requested by the competent authorities throughoutor after the investigation.
Amendment 207 #
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 themdonate the products to charitable or public interest purposes. If such products cannot be donated, economic operators should recycle them and if recycling is not possible, the products should be destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law, including Union legislation on waste management.
Amendment 212 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 26 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The Commission and Member States shall develop cooperation and partnership mechanisms with third countries to address the root causes of forced labour, and build the capacity of upstream economic actors to respond to the requirements under this regulation. The competent authorities and the Commission shall cooperate with relevant authorities of third countries to carry out investigations, as well as coordinate when it is relevant with investigations made by other countries and align with decisions made by other international entities. Member States’ competent authorities and the Commission shall actively exchange knowledge and intelligence with third country governments. In case of a violation of Article 3 of this Regulation, the Council shall impose sanctions through the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime or impose country-based sanctions regimes. The Council shall also adopt conclusions outlining strategies of the Union and the Member States to promote bilateral and multilateral coordination with third countries and other diplomatic initiatives to address state-sponsored forced labour, up to and including the recourse to sanctions towards third countries that promote forced labour, in line with ILO Convention No. 105.
Amendment 214 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28
Recital 28
(28) In that decision, competent authorities should state the findings of the investigation, and the information underpinning the findings, and set a reasonable time within which the economic operators should comply with the decision, as well as information allowing for the identification of the product to which the decision applies. The Commission should be empowered to adopt the implementing acts necessary to specify the details about the information to be contained in such decisions. The decisions from competent authorities should be made publicly available.
Amendment 216 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 29
Recital 29
Amendment 223 #
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 donated to charitable or public interest purposes. If such products cannot be donated, economic operators should recycle them, and if that is not possible, they should have the products 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.
Amendment 231 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 32
Recital 32
(32) Any person, whether it is a natural or legal person, or any association not having legal personality, should be allowed to submit information to the Commission or to competent authorities when it considers that products made with forced labour are placed and made available on the Union market and to be informed of the outcome of the assessment of their submission. Submissions may be addressed to one or more competent authorities. The Commission and competent authorities shall ensure that the identity of the person or persons reporting complaints, providing evidence, and of any individuals who are potentially being subjected to forced labour in terms of the complaint or investigation, is not disclosed without the explicit consent of that or those persons, to anyone beyond the authorised staff members competent to receive or follow up on complaints. This shall also apply to any other information from which the identity of the reporting person may be directly or indirectly deduced.
Amendment 242 #
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 Commission and 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 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 246 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 34
Recital 34
(34) Decisions of the Commission and competent authorities establishing a violation of the prohibition should be communicated to customs authorities, who should aim at identifying the product concerned amongst products declared for release for free circulation or export. The competent authorities should be responsible for the overall enforcement of the prohibition with regard to the internal market as well as products entering or leaving the Union market. Since forced labour is part of the manufacturing process and does not leave any trace on the product, and Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 covers only manufactured products and its scope is limited to release for free circulation, the customs authorities would be unable to act autonomously under Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 for the application and enforcement of the prohibition. The specific organisation of controls of each Member State should be without prejudice to Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council32and its general provisions on the control and supervisory powers of customs authorities. _________________ 32 Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 October 2013 laying down the Union Customs Code (recast) (OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1).
Amendment 259 #
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 destroyed, rendered inoperable, or otherwise disposed ofonated to charitable or public interest purposes. If the product cannot be donated, it should be recycled, and if that is not possible, it should be destroyed, in accordance with national law consistent with Union law, including legislation on waste management, which excludes re-export in case of non-Union goods.
Amendment 270 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 42
Recital 42
(42) To ensure effective enforcement decisions taken by the Commission or a competent authority in one Member State should be recognised and enforced by competent authorities in the other Member States regarding products withfrom the same identification from the same supply chaiproduction site, company, group of companies or region for which forced labour has been found.
Amendment 275 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 44
Recital 44
(44) To ensure effective enforcement of the prohibition, it is necessary to establish a network aimed at structured coordination and cooperation between the Commission, competent authorities of the Member States and, where appropriate, experts from customs authorities, and the Commission. That network should also aim at streamlining the practices of the competent authorities within the Union that facilitate the implementation of joint enforcement activities by Member States, including joint investigations. That administrative support structure and capacity building activities, such as the organisation of training programmes for competent authorities and other relevant stakeholders. The administrative support structure to be provided by the Commission should allow the pooling of resources and maintain a communication and information system between Member States and the Commission, thereby helping to strengthen the enforcement of the prohibition.
Amendment 280 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 44 a (new)
Recital 44 a (new)
(44a) The Commission should ensure the effective and uniform application of this Regulation and to that effect support and encourage cooperation between enforcement authorities through the Network. Furthermore, the Commission should set up a harmonised approach for penalties, and, in particular, it should lay down harmonised rules on penalties applicable to non-compliance with the decision of competent authorities.
Amendment 283 #
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 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. Existing dialogue structures with third countries include the (sub)committees on trade and sustainable development in trade agreements or the dialogue foreseen within the Generalised System of Preferences. EU Delegations should have an important role when it comes to disseminating information on this Regulation and should facilitate the possibility of third parties in third countries to provide information on the existence of forced labour on a determined product.
Amendment 289 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 48 a (new)
Recital 48 a (new)
(48a) No later than three years after the entry into force, the Commission should carry out a first review of this Regulation with particular attention to the effectiveness of the instrument, proposing additional measures where deemed appropriate.
Amendment 293 #
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, stored, transported, packaged or distributed with forced labour.
Amendment 297 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 1 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 1 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. This Regulation lays down rules for remedial obligations for economic operators for cases where forced labour has been established.
Amendment 305 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point b a (new)
(ba) ‘forced labour high risk area’ means countries or regions where there is clear and reliable evidence of state- imposed forced labour, in an entire product group in a specific industry.
Amendment 307 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) ‘due diligence in relation to forced labour’ means the efforts by economic operator to implement mandatory requirements, voluntary guidelines, recommendations or practices to identify, prevent, mitigate or bring to an end the use of forced labour in their operations and value chain with respect to products that are to be made available on the Union market or to be exported;
Amendment 309 #
(ca) ‘remediation’ means measures aiming to improve conditions for workers and affected victims of forced labour.These include evidence of one or more of the following: i) financial and non-financial compensation, including compensation based on the duration and extent of forced labour and any harms suffered; ii) restitution for the victims, including restoring relevant documents such as visas and work permits, and returning their passport; iii) rehabilitation; iv) preventive measures and guarantees of non-reoccurrence of forced labour;and where it is accompanied by one or more of the above measures, apologies; v) other remediation measures as agreed on by the economic operators and affected workers and stakeholders.
Amendment 312 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c b (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c b (new)
(cb) 'root causes of forced labour' means the causes leading to economic exploitation, poverty, systemic discrimination, and lack of regular and decent labour migration pathways at the level of a country or region. At the level of an economic operator, it includes prices below the cost of production, the lack of living incomes and living wages as well as unfair purchasing practices.
Amendment 314 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c c (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point c c (new)
(cc) ‘stakeholders’ means: i) workers and other individuals, groups, communities, trade unions, worker representatives or entities whose rights or interests are or could be affected by forced labour as used by an economic operator, its subsidiaries or its business relationships; ii) other legal or natural persons defending human rights, including individuals, groups and organs of society that promote and protect universally recognised human rights and fundamental freedoms and labour conventions, including the rights of workers, trade unions, indigenous peoples or other vulnerable stakeholders;and (iii) organisations whose statutory purpose is the defence of human rights;
Amendment 326 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point g
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point g
(g) ‘product made with forced labour’ means a product for which forced labour has been used in whole or in part at any stage of its extraction, harvest, production or manufacture, storage, transport, packaging or distribution, including working or processing related to a product at any stage of its supply chain;
Amendment 339 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point k
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point k
(k) ‘product supplier’ means any natural or legal person or association of persons in the supply chain who extracts, harvests, produces or, manufactures, stores, transports, packages or distributes a product in whole or in part, or intervenes in the working or processing related to a product at any stage of its supply chain, whether as manufacturer or in any other circumstances;
Amendment 345 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point m a (new)
(ma) ‘end user’ means any natural or legal person residing or established in the Union, to whom a product has been made available either as a consumer outside of any trade, business, craft or profession or as a professional end user in the course of its industrial or professional activities;
Amendment 350 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point n
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point n
(n) ‘substantiated concern’ means a well-founded, yet not conclusive, reason, based on objective and verifiable information, for the competent authorities to suspect that products were likely made with forced labour;
Amendment 354 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point p
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point p
(p) ‘products entering the Union market’ means products from third countries and Union Member States intended to be placed on the Union market or intended for private use or consumption within the customs territory of the Union and placed under the customs procedure ‘release for free circulation’;
Amendment 358 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point u a (new)
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point u a (new)
(ua) 'meaningful engagement with stakeholders' means an interactive, responsive, ongoing and gender-inclusive process of engagement with potentially affected suppliers, stakeholders and their representative organisations, especially vulnerable stakeholders, such as workers, trade unions, smallholders, indigenous peoples and local communities before a potential decision on disengaging is made;
Amendment 364 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Article 3 – paragraph 1
Economic operators shall not place or make available on the Union market products that are made, stored, transported, packaged or distributed with forced labour, nor shall they export such products.
Amendment 368 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 3 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Amendment 371 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1
Article 4 – paragraph 1
Amendment 379 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 2
Article 4 – paragraph 2
Amendment 386 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 3
Article 4 – paragraph 3
Amendment 397 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 4
Article 4 – paragraph 4
Amendment 408 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 5
Article 4 – paragraph 5
Amendment 414 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 6
Article 4 – paragraph 6
Amendment 425 #
Amendment 433 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1
Article 5 – paragraph 1
1. Competent authorities that, pursuant to Article 4(5), determine that there is a substantiated concern of a violation ofThe Commission and competent authorities shall decide to initiate investigations on their own accord or in response to complaints or information submitted in accordance with Article 10, and shall follow a risk based approach in assessing the likelihood of a violation of Article 3 on the basis of relevant information, including: a) the risk indicators and other information pursuant to Article 23, shall decide to initiate an investigation on the products and economic operators concernedpoints (b) and (c); b) the database referred to in Article 11; c) information and decisions encoded in the information and communication system referred to in Article 22(1), including any past cases of compliance or non-compliance of an economic operator with Article 3; d) information requested by the competent authority from other relevant authorities, where necessary, on whether the 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.
Amendment 439 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. CThe Commission or the competent authorities that initiate an investigation pursuant to paragraph 1 shall inform, when they have reason to believe that the economic operators subject to the investigation, has additional information which is material to the investigation, inform the economic operators within 3 working days from the date of the decision to initiate such investigation about the following:
Amendment 447 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point d
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point d
(d) the possibility for the economic operators to submit any other document or information to the Commission or the competent authority, and the date by which such information has to be submitted.
Amendment 450 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point d a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 2 – point d a (new)
Amendment 453 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 3 – introductory part
Article 5 – paragraph 3 – introductory part
3. Where requested to do so by the Commission or competent authorities, economic operators under investigation shall submit to those competent authorities any information that is relevant and necessary for the investigation, including information identifying the products under investigation, the manufacturer or producer of those products and the product suppliers. In requesting such information, competent authorities shall to the extent possible:
Amendment 456 #
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 value chain as close as possible to where the likely risk of forced labour occurs andidentify the individual responsibilities, along the value chain, of different economic operators down to the level where forced labour is taking place and prioritise the economic operators under investigation involved in the steps of the value chain with the highest leverage to prevent, mitigate, remediate and bring to an end the use of forced labour in their operations and value chains.
Amendment 460 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 3 – point b
Article 5 – paragraph 3 – point b
Amendment 467 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 4
Article 5 – paragraph 4
4. Economic operators shall submit the information within 15 working days from the request referred to in paragraph 3 or make a justified request for an extension of up to 5 working days of that time limit.
Amendment 473 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 5
Article 5 – paragraph 5
Amendment 478 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 6
Article 5 – paragraph 6
6. CThe Commission and competent authorities may collect relevant information by consulting with stakeholders or by carrying out all necessary checks and inspections including investigations in third countries, provided that the economic operators concerned give their consent and that the government of the Member State or third country in which the inspections are to take place has been officially notified and raises no objection, within a limited timeframe.
Amendment 487 #
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 whether there is reasonable but not conclusive evidence that Article 3 has been violated, within a reasonable period of time30 days from the date they initiated the investigation pursuant to Article 5(1).
Amendment 496 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Amendment 498 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3
Article 6 – paragraph 3
3. Where competent authorities cannot establish that Article 3 has been violated, they shall take a decision to close the investigation and inform the economic operator thereof. The closing of the investigation for lack of proof shall not preclude the right of competent authorities to start a new investigation into the same product in case new relevant information arises.
Amendment 500 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 3
Article 6 – paragraph 3
3. Where competent authorities cannot establish that Article 3 has been violated, they shall take a decision to close the investigation and inform the economic operator thereof. This decision shall not preclude the right of competent authorities to start a new investigation on the same product where new information is made available.
Amendment 516 #
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 donate, recycle or dispose of the respective products in accordance with national law consistent with Union lawArticle 20.
Amendment 524 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Without prejudice to paragraph 4 (a), (b) and (c), competent authorities shall be empowered to issue an order for the economic operators to provide evidence of remediation measures in accordance with Article 2, according to their individual responsibilities referred to in Article 5(3). The remediation plan and its implementation strategy must be agreed upon between competent authorities and must involve meaningful consultation of affected workers and stakeholders. Evidence that remediation measures have been correctly implemented should be obtained in consultation of the affected workers and stakeholders.
Amendment 535 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 5 – point c
Article 6 – paragraph 5 – point c
(c) that any product remaining with the economic operator concerned is donated, recycled or disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law at the expense of the economic operatorArticle 20.
Amendment 541 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 6
Article 6 – paragraph 6
6. Where the Commission or 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 eliminated forced labour from their operations or supply chain with respect to the products concerned, and that effective processes have been put in place to prevent harm from occurring again in the future and in cases of not state-imposed forced labour that they have provided remediation in accordance with paragraph 4 new, the competent authorities shall withdraw their decision for the future and inform the economic operators.
Amendment 550 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 6 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Article 6 – paragraph 6 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Economic operators shall avoid simply disengaging from their operators in order to eliminate forced labour from their supply chains. In case efforts to prevent, minimise and remedy the situation fail, then the economic operator shall consider disengaging in a responsible way. Before potentially reaching a decision to disengage, economic operators shall engage meaningfully with stakeholders that would be impacted by such a decision. Responsible disengagement entails, as a minimum, complying with collective agreements and articulating escalation measures. Economic operators shall act in accordance with the July 2021 Commission and EEAS guidance on combatting forced labour in supply chains.
Amendment 556 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) a reasonable time limit for the economic operators to comply with the order, which shall not be less than 30 working days and no longer than necessary90 days to withdraw the respective products. When setting such a time limit, the Commission or competent authority shall take into account, where relevant, the economic operator’s size and economic resourcesdue diligence activities and the likelihood that those will bring forced labour to an end within a reasonable period of time;
Amendment 564 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 7 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) all relevant information and in particular the details allowing the identification of the product, to which the decision applies, including details about the manufacturer or producer, the producer, the production site and the product suppliers;
Amendment 570 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 1
Article 8 – paragraph 1
1. CThe Commission and competent authorities shall provide economic operators affected by a decision adopted pursuant to Article 6(4) the possibility of requesting a review of that decision within 15 working days from the date of receipt of that decision. In case of perishable goods, animals and plants, that time limit shall be 5 working days. The request for review shall contain information which demonstrates that the products are placed or made available on the market or to be exported in compliance with Article 3.
Amendment 575 #
3. AThe Commission or a competent authority shall take a decision on the request for review within 15 working days from the date of receipt of the request. In case of perishable goods, animals and plants that time limit shall be 5 working days.
Amendment 584 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 8 – paragraph 7 a (new)
Article 8 – paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. The Commission and competent authorities shall ensure that any decision made by competent authorities, including a failure to make a decision, or a decision not to investigate, may be reviewed as an administrative decision of a public body in accordance with the Member States legal framework.
Amendment 589 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 9 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) any decision not to initiate an investigation following a preliminary phase of investigation,submission of information or a complaint, as referred to in Article 4(7)10;
Amendment 597 #
2. The Commission shall make available the decisions, and the withdrawals referred to in the paragraph 1, points (c), (d), (e) and (g) on a dedicated public website.
Amendment 601 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 1
Article 10 – paragraph 1
1. Submissions of information by any natural or legal person or any association not having legal personality, to competent authorities on alleged violations of Article 3 shall contain information on the economic operators or products concerned and provide the reasons substantiating the allegationThe Commission shall establish a mechanism to receive complaints and information regarding alleged or suspected forced labour, taking place within or outside the EU, from any natural or legal person, including workers or others affected or potentially affected by forced labour, civil society organisations including trade unions, affected communities, and any other individual or group that may have information regarding products which are alleged or suspected to be made by forced labour.
Amendment 607 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 1 a (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Submissions of information and complaints on alleged violations of Article 3 shall contain information on the economic operators or products concerned and provide the reasons substantiating the allegation. Submissions may be addressed to the Commission or one or more competent authorities. The Commission shall receive a copy of submissions received by competent authorities.
Amendment 611 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 1 b (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Complaints may be lodged anonymously. The Commission and competent authorities shall ensure that the mechanism is designed so that victims or witnesses of forced labour may lodge complaints without fearing retaliation of any sort, without prejudice to Directive 2004/81/EC, Directive 2009/52/EC, Directive 2011/36/EU and Directive 2012/29/EU. These rights should not be made conditional on the affected workers’ residence status, or on their citizenship or nationality.
Amendment 612 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 1 c (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. The Commission shall determine the rules and procedure to assign complaints to the competent authorities. These rules will take into account the specificities of the complaint, the domicile of the economic operator and the capacities of the competent authorities in concerned Member States. The Commission may retain the power to investigate.
Amendment 614 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 2
Article 10 – paragraph 2
2. The competent authority shall, as soon as possible, inform the person or association referred to in paragraph 1 a of the outcome of the assessment of their submission or complaint as well as the decision referred to in Article 9 a.
Amendment 617 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 10 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 10 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Amendment 622 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 1
Article 11 – paragraph 1
1. The Commission shall call upon external expertise to provide an indicative, non-exhaustive, verifiable and regularly updated database of forced labour risks in specific geographic areas, sectors or with respect to specific products including with regard to forced labour imposed by state authorities. The database shall include a list of forced labour high risk areas and shall be based on the guidelines referred to in Article 23, points (a), (b) and (c), and relevant external sources of information from, amongst others, international organisations and third country authorities. Special attention will be paid to countries showing no or insignificant progress with respect to the elimination of forced child labour, the implementation of the 182 ILO Convention and other relevant conventions and protocols.
Amendment 637 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 2
Article 11 – paragraph 2
2. The Commission shall ensure that the database is made easily accessible and publicly available by the external expertise at the latest 2418 months after the entry into force of this Regulation.
Amendment 656 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 4
Article 12 – paragraph 4
4. The Commission shall make the mechanism referred to in Article 10 and the list of the designated competent authorities publicly available on its website and shall regularly update that list, based on the updates received from Member States.
Amendment 658 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 5
Article 12 – paragraph 5
5. Member States shall ensure that the designated competent authorities exercise their powers impartially, transparently and with due respect for obligations of professional secrecy. Member States shall ensure that their competent authorities have the necessary powers, expertise and resources to carry out the investigations, including sufficient budgetary and other resources and coordinate closely with the national labour inspections and judicial and law enforcement authorities, including those responsible for the fight against trafficking in human beings.
Amendment 665 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 1
Article 14 – paragraph 1
1. Decisions taken by the Commission or a competent authority in one Member State shall be recognised and enforced by competent authorities in the other Member States in so far as they relate to products with the same identification and from the same supply chain for which forced labour has been found.
Amendment 670 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 2
Article 14 – paragraph 2
2. A competent authority that has received, through the information and communication system referred to in Article 22(1), a request from the Commission or a competent authority of another Member State for information to verify any evidence provided by an economic operator shall provide that information within 15 working days from the date of receipt of the request.
Amendment 673 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 4
Article 14 – paragraph 4
4. Before initiating an investigation in accordance with Article 5, a competent authoritythe mechanism referred to in Article 10 shall verify in the information and communication system referred to in Article 22(1) whether there is a lead authority referred to in paragraph 3 investigating the same product and economic operator.
Amendment 684 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 16 – paragraph 2
Article 16 – paragraph 2
2. Customs authorities shall be provided with information identifying the product, information about the manufacturer, transporter, distributor, packaging or storage company or the producer and information about the product suppliers as regards products entering or leaving the Union market that have been identified by the Commission pursuant to paragraph 1, unless the provision of such information is already required pursuant to customs legislation referred to in Article 5(2) of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013.
Amendment 687 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 17 – paragraph 1
Article 17 – paragraph 1
Where customs authorities identify a product entering or leaving the Union market that may, in accordance with a decision received pursuant to Article 15(3), be in violation of Article 3, they shall suspend the release for free circulation or the export of that product. Customs authorities shall immediately notify the relevant competent authorities of the suspension and transmit all relevant information to enable them to establish whether the product is covered by a decision communicated pursuant to Article 15(3).
Amendment 690 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. Where the release for free circulation or the export of a product has been suspended in accordance with Article 17, the product shall be released for free circulation or exported where all the other requirements and formalities relating to such a release or export have been fulfilled and where either of the following conditions is satisfied:within 4 working days of the suspension, the competent authorities informed the customs authorities of their approval for release for free circulation or export pursuant to this Regulation. In case of perishable products, animals and plants that time limit shall be 2 working days.
Amendment 691 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – point a
Amendment 695 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 18 – paragraph 1 – point b
Amendment 698 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 19 – paragraph 1
Article 19 – paragraph 1
1. Where the competent authorities conclude that a product that has been notified to them in accordance with Article 17 is a product made with forced labour pursuant to a decision referred to in Article 6(2) and (4), they shall require customs authorities not to release it for free circulation nor to allow its export.
Amendment 709 #
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 donated to public interest purposes or recycled or if that is not possible the products should be disposed of in accordance with national law consistent with Union law. Articles 197 and 198 of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 shall apply accordingly.
Amendment 714 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 21 – paragraph 1
Article 21 – paragraph 1
1. To enable a risk-based approach for products entering or leaving the Union market and to ensure that controls are effective and performed in accordance with the requirements of this Regulation, the Commission, competent authorities and customs authorities shall cooperate closely and exchange risk-related information.
Amendment 719 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 21 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
Article 21 – paragraph 2 – introductory part
2. Cooperation among the Commission, the mechanism referred to in Article 10 and other relevant authorities and exchange of risk information necessary for the fulfilment of their respective functions under this Regulation, including through electronic means, shall take place between the following authorities:
Amendment 731 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
The Commission shall issue guidelines no later than 182 months after the entry into force of this Regulation, which shall include the following:
Amendment 736 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) guidance on due diligence in relation to forced labour, including forced child 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, CSOs and existing collaborative multistakeholders initiatives as well as the size and economic resources of economic operators;
Amendment 742 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 23 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) information on risk indicators of forced labour, which shall be based on independent and verifiable information, including reports from international organisations, in particular the International Labour Organization, including the ‘Hard to See, Harder to Count’ guidelines, civil society, business organisations, and experience from implementing Union legislation setting out due diligence requirements with respect to forced labour;
Amendment 762 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 1
Article 24 – paragraph 1
1. A Union Network Against Forced Labour Products (‘the Network’) is established by the Commission. 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 within the Union, thereby making enforcement more effective and coherent.
Amendment 764 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 2
Article 24 – paragraph 2
2. The Network shall be composed of representatives from each Member States’ competent authority, representatives from the Commission and, where appropriate, experts from the customs authorities. EU delegations, particularly based in countries with regions identified as of high risk of forced labour, shall also be involved in the work of this Network.
Amendment 765 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 2
Article 24 – paragraph 2
2. The Network shall be led by the Commission and composed of representatives from each Member States’ competent authority, representatives from the Commission, the European Labour Authority, the Fundamental Rights Agency and, where appropriate, experts from the customs authorities.
Amendment 768 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point b
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point b
(b) conduct joint investigations, mandate research or monitor situation of wide-spread and systemic forced labour including as to expand database of risk of forced labour;
Amendment 778 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f a (new)
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f a (new)
(fa) promote collaboration and exchange with relevant existing multi- stakeholders’ collaborative initiatives;
Amendment 780 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f a (new)
Article 24 – paragraph 3 – point f a (new)
(fa) coordinate dissemination efforts in and outside the EU;
Amendment 782 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 3 a (new)
Article 24 – paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. The Network may invite experts and stakeholders, including social partners and other workers’ representatives as well as civil society representatives to attend meetings of the Network or to provide written contributions or trainings for the Network.
Amendment 786 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 4
Article 24 – paragraph 4
4. The Commission shall support and encouraglead and facilitate cooperation between enforcement authorities through the Network and participate in the meetings of the Network.
Amendment 788 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Article 24 – paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. The Commission shall provide the Network with the financial and human resources to carry out its missions.
Amendment 793 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 25 – paragraph 2
Article 25 – paragraph 2
2. Where requested, tThe Commission, Member States and competent authorities shall treat the identity of those who provide information, or the information provided, as confidential. A request for confidentiality shall be accompanied by a non-confidential summary of the information supplied or by a statement of the reasons why the information cannot be summarised in a non-confidential manner.
Amendment 794 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – title
Article 26 – title
International Cooperation and Accompanying Measures
Amendment 797 #
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 may as appropriate cooperate, engage and exchange information with, amongst others, authorities of third countries, international organisations, civil society representatives and business organisations. 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. Existing dialogue structures with third countries include the (sub)committees on trade and sustainable development in trade agreements or the dialogue foreseen within the Generalised System of Preferences.
Amendment 798 #
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, and civil society representatives andincluding business organisations, trade unions, workers organisations, NGOs and networks of affected stakeholders. 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 805 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 2
Article 26 – paragraph 2
2. For the purposes of paragraph 1, cooperation with, amongst others, international organisations, civil society representatives, business organisations and competent authorities of third countries mayshall result in the Union developing accompanying measures to support the efforts of companies and partner countries efforts and locally available capacities in tackling forced labour.
Amendment 807 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 26 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The Commission and Member States shall develop cooperation and partnership mechanisms with third countries to address the root causes of forced labour, and build the capacity of upstream economic actors to respond to the requirements under this Regulation.
Amendment 808 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 2 b (new)
Article 26 – paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. The Commission and competent authorities shall cooperate with relevant authorities of third countries to carry out investigations, as well as coordinate when it is relevant with investigations made by other countries and align with decisions made by other international entities. Member States’ competent authorities and the Commission shall actively exchange knowledge and intelligence with third country governments.
Amendment 809 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 2 c (new)
Article 26 – paragraph 2 c (new)
Amendment 810 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 a (new)
Article 26 a (new)
Article26a Development cooperation The Commission and Member States shall develop cooperation and partnership mechanisms with third countries to address the root causes of forced labour as well as to build the capacity of upstream economic actors to respond to the requirements under this Regulation.
Amendment 815 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 – paragraph 1
Article 30 – paragraph 1
1. The Member StatesCommission shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to non- compliance with a decision referred to in Article 6(4) and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented in accordance with national law.
Amendment 817 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 – paragraph 2
Article 30 – paragraph 2
2. The penalties provided for shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasivetake the form of pecuniary fines and shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. The maximum limit of pecuniary sanctions shall be not less than 5% of the total worldwide turnover of the undertaking in the business year preceding the fining decision. The collected sum shall be used for the compensation fund referred to in paragraph 2b.
Amendment 818 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 30 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. If an operator circumvents or attempts to circumvent a ban or sanction imposed in accordance with this Regulation, or when they refuse to cooperate with the customs or competent authorities, the competent authority shall be empowered to impose additional proportionate and dissuasive penalties, such as pecuniary fines.
Amendment 819 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 – paragraph 2 b (new)
Article 30 – paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. A compensation fund shall be established by a delegated act to be adopted no later than 2 years after the entry into force of this Regulation.
Amendment 825 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 30 a (new)
Article 30 a (new)
Article30a Review and annual reporting 1. No later than three years after the entry into force of this Regulation, the Commission shall carry out a first review with particular attention to the effectiveness of the instrument, proposing additional measures where deemed appropriate. 2. No later than one year after the entry into force of this Regulation, the Commission shall present annually a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the implementation of this Regulation.