The Enforcement of the EU Forced Labour Regulation and Systemic Forced Labour Risks in Xinjiang

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F48546054%3A_____%2F25%3AN0000036" target="_blank" >RIV/48546054:_____/25:N0000036 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.europeum.org/wp-content/uploads/Xinjiang-Svec.pdf" target="_blank" >https://www.europeum.org/wp-content/uploads/Xinjiang-Svec.pdf</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

—

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

The Enforcement of the EU Forced Labour Regulation and Systemic Forced Labour Risks in Xinjiang

Original language description

This is a policy paper that was produced within the Think Visegrad in Brussels Fellowship programme. On 27 November 2024, the European Parliament adopted Regulation 2024/3015 prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 (hereinafter FLP or Regulation) (European Union 2024). The Regulation, which will enter into force on 14 December 2027, bans the import and sale of all products linked to forced labour at any stage of the supply chain (Article 2). Where forced labour is suspected within the European Union, investigations will be carried out by national authorities; where it is suspected outside the EU, investigations will be conducted by the European Commission. This policy paper discusses the problematic aspects of enforcing the regulation, with a specific focus on products originating from Xinjiang. While Xinjiang is not the only region with a high risk of forced labour, it is an important case for several reasons. First, forced labour practices in the region have already been proven by strong evidence and acknowledged by the International Labour Organization (ILO) (ILO 2025) and the United Nations (UN) (OHCHR 2022). Second, Xinjiang is a major source of significant global supplies of key products and materials, including solar panels, critical raw materials, aluminium, PVC, and cotton. Third, forced labour in Xinjiang often takes the form of non-internment state-organised mobilization which makes it difficult to identify in individual cases (Zenz 2023). The methodology of this study combines desk research of investigative reports with eleven interviews conducted with representatives of EU institutions and think tanks.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

50601 - Political science

Project

—

Continuities

N - Vyzkumna aktivita podporovana z neverejnych zdroju

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů