The Party of European Socialists (PES) welcomes the approval by the Council of the interinstitutional agreement on the Forced Labour Regulation reached by the Belgian Presidency.
PES President Stefan Löfven said:
“As the world’s biggest market, the EU has a responsibility to ensure that our consumption habits do not lead to breaches of human rights and workers’ rights around the world. As socialists and social-democrats, internationalism is a core tenet of our action.
“With this Regulation, companies in the EU and beyond will be obligate to ensure their supply chains do not rely on abusive practices, in line with the standards set by the International Labour Organisation. Together with a strong Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, this will help put an end to exploitation and unfair competition.
“I would especially like to congratulate Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Pierre-Yves Dermagne (PS Belgium) and MEP Maria Manuel Leitão Marques (PS Portugal), lead negotiators for the Council and the Parliament respectively, as well as shadow rapporteur for the International Trade committee Raphaël Glucksmann, head of list of PS France, who has long been a vocal campaigner against modern slavery.”
Banning the sale of products made using forced labour has long been a central policy issue for progressives. The resolution adopted by the PES Congress in November in Málaga urged the EU to lead by example by adopting an ambitious Forced Labour Regulation, to make European companies accountable for the social, human rights and environmental conditions throughout their value chains.
