The European Parliament,

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E. whereas Serbia is increasing the number of contracts it has with major Chinese industrialists and granting China more and more legal privileges, even when these are contrary to EU law; whereas the agreement between Belgrade and Beijing on the employment of foreigners allows Chinese labour law to be applied in Serbia; whereas in March 2021, there were press reports of mistreatment of employees of the Chinese company Zijin Mining, which took over a copper mine in eastern Serbia in 2018, while they were deprived of their passports and housed in precarious conditions;

F. whereas there have been serious allegations against the Chinese tyre production company Linglong Tire in Zrenjanin, northern Serbia, regarding the working conditions of 500 workers from Vietnam; whereas these allegations include violations of human rights, human trafficking and conditions that could endanger human health and lives; whereas the workers’ passports were confiscated; whereas the contracts of the employees in the Linglong Tire factory include irregularities which indicate that labour exploitation has taken place in relation to salaries, leave and working hours, contrary to the applicable regulations of the Serbia Labour Law;

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1. Expresses deep concerns over the alleged forced labour, violation of human rights and human trafficking of around 500 Vietnamese people at the Chinese Linglong Tire factory construction site in Serbia;
2. Urges the Serbian authorities to investigate the case carefully and ensure respect for fundamental human rights in the factory, especially labour rights, to provide the EU with the conclusions of its investigations and to hold the perpetrators to account; calls on the Serbian authorities to allow free, meaningful and unhindered access to the Linglong Tire factory in Zrenjanin and the lodging facilities of the Vietnamese workers for NGOs, CSOs, EU officials and officials from other international organisations; urges the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia to closely follow up on these processes and the fate of the 500 Vietnamese workers;

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