Three MEPs from the Socialists and Democrats group have asked the European Commission to clarify whether Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD falls under EU due diligence rules, following allegations of forced labour at its construction site in Szeged, Hungary. In a parliamentary question dated 5 June 2026, Raphaël Glucksmann, Kathleen Van Brempt and Klára Dobrev pressed the Commission on three specific legal gaps they say remain unaddressed after the Commission's previous answer on the matter.
The MEPs first question whether BYD is covered by the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) after the Omnibus I amendments raised the net EU turnover threshold to EUR 1.5 billion for non-EU companies. They ask the Commission to confirm whether BYD meets that threshold. Second, they note that the Forced Labour Regulation applies to products placed on the EU market, not to construction sites, and ask whether the Commission shares the assessment that this creates a legal gap. Third, they point to the European Labour Authority's lack of investigative powers — confirmed in the Commission's earlier reply — and ask whether the Commission intends to propose strengthening ELA's mandate to enable proactive cross-border labour inspections.
The question follows the Commission's answer to a previous written question (E-001437/2026), in which it acknowledged the allegations and noted that ELA had offered support to Hungarian authorities. The MEPs now seek concrete legal clarifications and a potential legislative response. Under EU rules, the Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks; its answer will signal whether it sees a need to close the identified gaps or considers existing instruments sufficient.