BRUSSELS, Belgium: Without naming any country, the European Commission has proposed an EU-wide ban on importing products made using forced labor.
This follows a European Parliament call for such a law in June, which highlighted concerns over human rights in China’s Xinjiang region.
Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses against Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority in Xinjiang, including mass forced labor in internment camps, while China denies abuses occur in
the region.
The EU proposal highlights the 27.6 million people the International labor Organization
says were engaged in forced labor in 2021, 11 percent more than in 2016. Just over half were in the Asia-Pacific region, although the highest level per capita was in Arab states. Forced labor was also a problem in high income countries.
The European Commission proposed the creation of individual national agencies among EU members to monitor how products were made that are imported into their countries.
Officials said the proposed ban should apply to all products, including components, and to all levels of production, from extraction or harvest to manufacturing, as well as to EU-made products and EU exports.
Although the new law might not lead to major changes in trade flows, it is expected to step up pressure on companies to monitor supply chains.
