Progress is needed to prohibit products made with forced labour from the Single Market, European socialist ministers agreed today.
PES Ministers welcomed the efforts of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU to move forward with the Forced Labour Regulation, as they met to coordinate before the EU Competitiveness Council (COMPET) on Thursday.
It is estimated that 27.6 million people worldwide are facing forced labour. As the world’s largest market, the EU has a valuable role to play in ensuring supply chains are free from modern slavery.
Meeting Chair Slovenian State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport, Matevž Frangež, said:
“As socialists and social democrats, the ban on products made using forced labour is central to our fight for international solidarity and workers’ rights. It would be unacceptable for us to turn a blind eye as slavery persists to this day.
“This Regulation should work effectively with other instruments, including the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, to ensure that we reach maximum efficacy with as little burden as possible, especially for SMEs.”
The resolution adopted by the PES Congress in November in Málaga urged the EU to lead by example by adopting an ambitious Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and Forced Labour Regulation, to make European companies accountable for the social, human rights and environmental conditions throughout their value chains.
Ministers also exchanged on the Net Zero Industry Act, a key instrument of the Green Deal Industrial Plan presented by Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, designed to speed up regulatory processes for the rapid deployment of clean technologies in the EU. The meeting also held a discussion on policies targeted at SMEs, to improve competitiveness, reduce red tape and create quality jobs in the sectors of the future, across the EU.
The meeting was attended by:
- Matevž Frangež, Chair, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport, Slovenia
- Rolf Schmachtenberg, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, German
- Lucian Rus, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Romania
- Biljana Borzan, S&D Vice President for a new economy that works for all, S&D Group
