On September 14th 2022, the European Commission presented its proposal for a EU Regulation on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the EU market. References to such a proposal were included in the EU Communication on Decent Work Worldwide as well as the EU Commission’s proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence, both announced on February 23rd 2022.

The proposal for a ban on goods produced with forced labour builds on the recommendations made by stakeholders as part of the call for evidence launched by the European Commission between May and June 20th 2022, in which ICI participated.

After provisional agreement was found on March 5th 2024, between the EU Council, the EU Commission and the EU Parliament, the final text has been adopted by the European Parliament on April 23rd 2024. It has now to be approved by the EU Council (expected in fall 2024) to be enforced.

This ICI briefing provides an overview of the main elements of the final draft text, compared to the initial proposal from the European Commission.