MAC has recommended to the European Commission and EU Member States to ban products made with forced labour from the Union market
Market Advisory Council (MAC) Recommendations to Enhance Legislative Proposal on Banning Products Made from Forced Labour in the EU Market
The Market Advisory Council (MAC) has put forth recommendations to the European Commission and EU Member States regarding a recent legislative proposal aimed at prohibiting products made with forced labour in the Union market.
The proposed regulation seeks to prevent the introduction and exportation of products manufactured entirely or partially through the involvement of forced labour.
A study commissioned by the MAC has identified specific high-level risks within the fishing sector related to forced labour. These risks include unsafe working conditions at sea, isolation, lack of oversight, illegal recruitment practices, and intricate supply chains. Several major species traded in the Union market may be susceptible to these challenges.
According to MAC members, the European Commission and EU Member States should:
– Engage with international and social partners, advocating for the ratification of the International Labour Organization’s Work in Fishing Convention (No 188) and enhancing bilateral and multilateral engagement.
– Ensure the availability of reliable and up-to-date information on forced labour. The European Union should play a pivotal role in constructing and maintaining comprehensive databases on social and environmental issues.
– Adopt a transparent approach by openly communicating the methodologies developed and the outcomes of investigations into forced labor practices. This could involve establishing a transparent list of companies and, where relevant, fishing vessels found to have violated the regulation’s provisions, along with the creation of a mechanism to demonstrate compliance.
– Improve links with the proposed Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, ensuring that investigation results are accessible to companies for their due diligence processes.
Yobana Bermúdez, Chair of the MAC, emphasised, “Even though the proposed regulation is intended to apply equally to products made in the EU and in third countries, without targeting specific products, industries, or countries, it can play a key role in combating forced labour in the market of fishery and aquaculture products. International trade is crucial in this highly globalised sector with complex supply chains.”
Source: Press Release
