June 3 (Reuters) – The United States has proposed new tariffs on imports from 60 economies after accusing trading partners of failing to keep goods made with forced labour out of their markets.
The move raises the question of how U.S. rules compare with those in Europe and Britain, where governments have also adopted laws aimed at tackling forced labour in global supply chains.
Below are the main measures:
UNITED STATES
The U.S. tariff act of 1930 in section 307 is a foundational trade law that prohibits the importation of any good into the country produced wholly or in part by forced labour, convict labour or indentured child labour.
The law gives U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) a border-enforcement tool, allowing authorities to detain, exclude or seize goods suspected of being linked to forced labour.
The country’s Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) is also a major U.S. federal law that took effect in June 2022. Its primary goal is to ensure that goods made with state-sponsored forced labour of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region (XUAR) do not enter the U.S. market.
BRITAIN
The United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 aims to combat human trafficking, forced labour and slavery.Â
The law consolidates prior offences, introduces stricter penalties, and obliges companies to report publicly on steps taken to address slavery and human trafficking in their operations and supply chains.
It is mainly a transparency regime, not a forced-labour import ban.
EUROPEAN UNION
The EU’s Forced Labour Regulation introduces a ban on products made with forced labour, ensuring that they cannot be sold in the EU market. The ban applies to all products, whether imported or produced within the EU for domestic consumption or export.
The rules take effect on 14 December, 2027.
GERMANY
Germany’s Supply Chain Due Diligence Act requires large companies to address human-rights and certain environmental risks in their supply chains, including forced labour.
The law applies to companies in Germany with at least 1,000 employees and companies can face fines and may be excluded from public contracts for serious violations.
It is a corporate due-diligence regime, not a customs import-ban regime.
FRANCE
France’s duty of vigilance law requires large companies to establish and implement vigilance plans to identify risks and prevent serious harm to human rights, fundamental freedoms, health, safety and the environment.
The plans cover the company’s own activities, companies it controls, and subcontractors and suppliers with which it has an established commercial relationship.
Like Germany’s law, it is focused on corporate responsibility rather than stopping goods at the border.
NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands has had child-labour due-diligence legislation in the pipeline, but official guidance says the effective date is not yet final.
It is not a general forced-labour import ban. Dutch companies will also be covered by the EU’s forced-labour product ban once it starts applying in December 2027.
FINLAND
Finland is preparing national legislation to implement the EU’s forced-labour product ban when it takes effect from December 2027.
A draft law would name the Finnish Supervisory Agency as the national authority for investigations, decisions and sanctions in Finland. The government plans to submit the proposal to parliament in autumn 2026.
NORWAY
Norway’s Transparency Act, in force since 2022, is aimed at addressing human rights abuses and indecent working conditions linked to the production of goods and services in Norway and in global supply chains.
It requires larger companies to carry out due diligence and gives the public a right to request information.
It is a transparency and due-diligence law, not an import ban.
(Reporting by Jesus Calero, Ozan Ergenay and Elviira Luoma in Gdansk, Lena Rueckerl in Berlin; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
