In September 2022, the European Commission published a proposal to ban from the EU Single Market products tainted with forced labour. The proposed Forced Labour Regulation could contribute to creating conditions for EU companies to meaningfully address forced labour in their value chains, both inside and outside the EU. But in order to achieve that, the Regulation must put workers and their rights at the heart of any new rules.
FIDH and 16 other civil society organisations have written to the Spanish Secretary of State for the European Union as the country gears up to take the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July. They call on Spain to commit to speeding up the discussion of the Regulation at Council level and address the gaps in the current Commission proposal, to the benefit of affected workers.