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Ordinary legislative procedure First reading

Prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market

A proposed EU law. Parliament and the Council must agree on the same text: Parliament adopts its position, then negotiates with the Council.

Where it stands: Completed: published in the Official Journal on 12 December 2024 and now EU law.

  1. ✓ Referred to committee 6 October 2022
  2. ✓ Committee work Report adopted 16 October 2023
  3. ✓ Tabled for plenary 26 October 2023
  4. ✓ Negotiations with the Council Deal approved in committee 20 March 2024
  5. ✓ Plenary vote Adopted 23 April 2024
  6. ✓ Published as law 12 December 2024
How a file moves through Parliament

A file is referred to one lead committee (others may give an opinion). Its rapporteur writes a draft report, committee members table amendments, and the committee votes to adopt the report. The report is then tabled for all MEPs; political groups can table further amendments, which are voted on before the final vote in plenary. For a law, Parliament’s adopted text is its first-reading position; Parliament and the Council then negotiate a common text (trilogues) which both must approve before it is published as law.

Who is working on it

Lead committee
INTA — International Trade
Rapporteurs
MEP #197868 RenewMEP #197635 S&D
Shadow rapporteurs
MEP #197610 IDAndreas SCHWAB PPEKosma ZŁOTOWSKI ECRSvenja HAHN RenewAnna CAVAZZINI Verts/ALESaskia BRICMONT Verts/ALEMEP #197527 The LeftJörgen WARBORN PPERaphaël GLUCKSMANN S&DMEP #218349 ECRMEP #96646 The Left
For opinion
DEVE — Development · rapporteur MEP #228604 S&DJURI — Legal Affairs · rapporteur Adrián VÁZQUEZ LÁZARA RenewPECH — Fisheries · rapporteur MEP #124835 Verts/ALE

The rapporteur drafts and negotiates the text for the lead committee; each other political group names a shadow rapporteur to follow the file.

The text, version by version

Adopted by Parliament · latest Adopted text TA9-0309/2024 23 April 2024 ✦ Parliament adopted its first-reading position on a regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market, amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937.⇄ what changed Tabled for plenary Report A9-0306/2023 26 October 2023 ✦ Parliament's amended version of the Commission proposal for a regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market. It bans placing, making available and exporting such products, sets up investigations by the Commission and national authorities, and requires remediation and withdrawal of banned products.

Committee opinions: Draft opinion (DEVE),Opinion (EMPL),Opinion (PECH),Draft opinion (EMPL),Draft opinion (PECH),Draft opinion (AFET),Opinion (DEVE),Opinion (AFET)

Newest version first. Open a version to read it in full. “What changed” shows the differences paragraph by paragraph; ✦ lines are AI-written from the texts themselves.

Timeline

  1. Outcome
  2. 12 December 2024 Published in the Official Journal

    The act is now EU law.

  3. 27 November 2024 Signed by the Presidents of Parliament and the Council

    The last step before the act is published in the Official Journal.

  4. Plenary stage
  5. 23 April 2024 Plenary vote
    Sitting of 23 April 2024 📄 Adopted text TA9-0309/2024📄 Report A9-0306/2023
    Adopted Adopted by an overwhelming majority
    For 555 Against 6 Abstained 45

    Final vote on the provisional agreement at 13:59 · 92% of votes cast in favour · every MEP’s position →

  6. 22 April 2024 Debated in plenary

    MEPs debated the text in the chamber ahead of the vote.

    Sitting of 22 April 2024 📄 Council / Commission text C9-0307/2022📄 Report A9-0306/2023
  7. Negotiations with the Council
  8. 20 March 2024 Committee approved the deal reached with the Council

    The provisional agreement from the trilogues goes to the whole Parliament for a vote.

    📄 CJ33-AG-759952
  9. 9 November 2023 Plenary endorsed the mandate to negotiate with the Council

    Parliament’s negotiators can now seek a compromise text with the Council (in “trilogues”).

  10. Plenary stage
  11. 26 October 2023 Report tabled for plenary

    This is the text all MEPs vote on. Political groups can still table amendments to it.

    📄 Report A9-0306/2023
  12. Committee stage
  13. 16 October 2023 Committee vote: report adopted

    INTA (International Trade) voted on the amendments and adopted the report that goes to plenary.

  14. 18 July 2023 EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (EMPL)
  15. 18 July 2023 AFET (Foreign Affairs) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (AFET)
  16. 18 July 2023 PECH (Fisheries) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (PECH)
  17. 28 June 2023 DEVE (Development) adopted its opinion

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 Opinion (DEVE)
  18. 30 May 2023 Committee opinion adopted

    The opinion is attached to the report for the lead committee to consider.

    📄 JURI-AL-749170
  19. 10 May 2023 Draft opinion from PECH (Fisheries)

    An associated committee gives its view to the lead committee.

    📄 Draft opinion (PECH)
  20. 28 April 2023 Draft report published

    The rapporteur’s first text. Members can table amendments before the committee votes.

    📄 CJ33-PR-746734
  21. 13 April 2023 Draft opinion from EMPL (Employment and Social Affairs)

    An associated committee gives its view to the lead committee.

    📄 Draft opinion (EMPL)
  22. 13 April 2023 Draft opinion from AFET (Foreign Affairs)

    An associated committee gives its view to the lead committee.

    📄 Draft opinion (AFET)
  23. 6 March 2023 Draft opinion from DEVE (Development)

    An associated committee gives its view to the lead committee.

    📄 Draft opinion (DEVE)
  24. 6 October 2022 Referred to the INTA (International Trade) committee

    The lead committee prepares the report; DEVE (Development), JURI (Legal Affairs), PECH (Fisheries) give an opinion.