At a glance
- On 12 December 2024, the Regulation on Prohibiting Products made with Forced Labour on the Union Market was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (Regulation).
- It forbids the placing, making available, or exporting of any product made using forced labour within the Union market, regardless of the product's origin or sector.
- Economic operators must implement due diligence processes to identify and mitigate risks of forced labour in their supply chains, with guidelines provided by the Commission.
Update: 29 September 2026
The European Commission launched the Forced Labour Single Portal, including guidelines and risk databases. The Regulation does not impose standalone due diligence obligations on companies. However, the Commission's guidelines make clear that robust due diligence practices can play a central role in demonstrating compliance, and in reducing the risk of enforcement action.
For companies not caught by other specific legal requirements, the guidelines point to the OECD's six-step due diligence framework as a globally recognised, structured approach to managing human rights risks across operations and supply chains.
The Single Information Submission Point, where individuals and organisations can share information about products or companies potentially linked to forced labour, will be available from 14 December 2027.
7 January 2025
On 12 December 2024, the Regulation on Prohibiting Products made with Forced Labour on the Union Market (Regulation) was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Regulation can be accessed here.
The Regulation will generally apply from 14 December 2027. However, some of the requirements addressed to the competent authorities and the Commission took effect on 13 December 2024. These relate, for example, to the use and establishment of information and communication systems, databases and the establishment of a single point of contact for the transmission of information for the exchange of relevant data, which will be used to monitor compliance with the Regulation.
The Regulation forbids the placing and making available on the Union market, or the export from the Union market, of any product made using forced labour. This applies to all products, regardless of origin or sector.
The new legislation establishes a structured framework for prohibiting the use of forced labour in the production of EU goods and within supply chains.
Due diligence requirements
Economic operators must implement due diligence processes to identify and mitigate risks of forced labour in their supply chains. To assist businesses in ensuring compliance wit the Regulation, the European Commission will issue guidelines on due diligence in relation to forced labour, taking into account the size and economic resources of economic operators.
Investigation and enforcement
nvestigations by competent authorities into suspected violations will follow a risk-based approach. In this context, authorities will be able to carry out inspections and require economic operators to provide information on their supply chains. To assist in the assessment of possible violations of the Regulation, the Commission will establish a database containing verified and regularly updated information on areas or products where forced labour is a risk.
Penalties for non-compliance
Member States must establish effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties for non-compliance with the Regulation. These penalties will take into account factors such as the seriousness of the offence and the cooperation of the operator. During the investigation, the marketing of products could be suspended and completely stopped if the investigation concludes that forced labour has been used.
Next steps
In accordance with the requirements of the Regulation, the Commission is to draft and publish guidelines on the application of the Regulation by 14 June 2026 to assist economic operators with its implementation.
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