Click, click, click. Add to cart. Teddy bears, play slime, clothes and an almost endless universe of various things at unheard of low prices have in a short time led to Chinese Temu and Shein making inroads into the Norwegian online shopping market. In the US, there has long been concern over whether the cheap products from China have been made with forced labour, and in 2021 the US president, Joe Biden, signed a law banning goods from Xinjiang province, which is notorious for modern-day slave labour. Until now, the EU has not had similar rules for products sold on the European market. But now the European Parliament has voted in favor of a long-awaited ban on the sale, import and export of products in the EU made by people forced to work against their will. From now on, the member states and the EU authorities will be tasked with investigating suspicious goods, supply chains and producers where there may be a risk of slave labour. If it turns out that the conditions are not in order, the jumper, light chain or toaster can no longer be sold in Europe. Businesses that do not comply with the rules will be punished with fines. China is in focus The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 27.6 million people worldwide are exposed to forced labour. The rules will apply to products from all over the world, but China is in particular focus. A new report revealed that people from the Muslim ethnic group, the Uyghurs, in Xinjiang province are harvesting cotton in notorious prison camps. According to the report, the cotton is probably used by around 30 internationally known fashion houses, such as Swedish H&M and Spanish Zara. The upcoming ban is welcomed by several civil society organisations, while others criticize the ban for not helping those exposed to forced labour. The ban now needs to be finally approved by the new European Parliament. It must then be adopted in the Council of Ministers. If all goes according to plan, the ban will come into effect in 2027.
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New EU law will prevent the sale of goods made with forced labour
