Behind the Bubbles: Forced Labor in Europe’s Champagne Industry

Author: Shirley Lin

September 3, 2025

Workers pick grapes on a vineyard in western France, on 13 September 2023. [Image credit: AFP / LOIC VENANCE]

Introduction

When you walk into a grocery store, it is easy to forget the labor behind the fruits and vegetables that nourish you. This disconnect is sharply illustrated by ongoing allegations in France’s Champagne region. Each year, approximately 120,000 seasonal workers make the grape harvest possible through a one-month-long process that fuels a multi-billion-euro export industry for sparkling wine. Yet, behind the prestige and celebration of Champagne lies a troubling reality. In 2023, dozens of West African workers, reportedly recruited by the agency Anavim, were allegedly subjected to exploitative conditions that may qualify as forced labor and human trafficking under international law. Prosecutors found that these workers were housed in appalling, unsanitary conditions while being forced to work grueling hours with little oversight or protection (Le Monde, 2025).

This case is not an isolated incident but instead reveals a deep, systemic vulnerability within Europe’s seasonal labor system. Migrant workers remain dangerously exposed to exploitation, while perpetrators often escape meaningful legal consequences due to weak enforcement of labor and migrant rights. It is no longer sufficient to place accountability solely on vineyard owners for violations committed by recruitment agencies. Instead, the European Union (EU) must strengthen its approach by introducing a robust, EU-wide licensing system for labor recruiters, mandating joint liability, and holding employers fully accountable for the actions of the agencies they engage. These reforms are essential to closing legal loopholes that allow abuse to persist in the shadows of Europe’s most celebrated industries.

Structural Forces

The structural forces behind migrant labor abuse stem from two deeply intertwined issues: global economic asymmetry and critical legal gaps (particularly the exclusion of migrant workers from protections like minimum wage laws and collective bargaining rights). As of 2023, nearly 3 million youths across Africa were unemployed (ILO, 2023). With job opportunities at home scarce, many seek work abroad to provide for their families. The EU, with its diversified economy and high standard of living, becomes an appealing destination as it offers both security and opportunity. But this perception often masks the harsh conditions that await migrant laborers upon arrival. Neha Misra, in The Push & Pull of Globalization, writes that globalization “has created an ever-widening wealth gap between countries, and between rural and urban areas within countries,” and that while global firms tap into this surplus labor, it often leads to “an increased demand for cheap labor accompanied by declining wages and safety standards” (Misra, 2007, p.2). Globalization is not inherently exploitative, but when left unchecked, it can create a powerful incentive for employers to minimize labor costs at the expense of human dignity. 

These economic dynamics are compounded by legal inadequacies, particularly those arising from the EU’s 2009 Employers’ Sanctions Directive. The directive aimed to deter illegal employment while protecting undocumented migrant workers through access to legal assistance, back pay, and improved labor inspections (EU Monitor, n.d.). But in practice, implementation has been lacking. A decade after the directive’s deadline, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) found that countries such as France have failed to enforce its provisions effectively. Migrant workers rarely file complaints, either because they fear repercussions or are unaware of reporting systems (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2021). These dual forces—economic desperation and weak enforcement—expose why migrant workers are often unable to bargain or demand fair wages collectively. The FRA’s critique of the directive as superficial is more than a bureaucratic comment; it underscores a structural failure that permits abuses like those in the Champagne region to flourish. The reality these workers face, characterized by unpaid wages, unsafe housing, and systemic intimidation, stands in stark contrast to the luxury and celebration marketed by the industry. 

How Can the EU Enhance Labour Protections?

To implement meaningful change, the EU can introduce a robust licensing framework for labor recruitment agencies and mandate joint liability between employers and recruiters. A centralized, EU-wide licensing system would establish transparency and accountability across member states. Under this framework, recruitment agencies bringing in workers from outside the EU would be required to meet strict, standardized criteria to obtain and maintain licenses. Oversight would then fall under the European Commission, ensuring that cross-border recruitment practices adhere to EU-wide labor standards and human rights obligations.

Licensing, however, is only a starting point. Enforceable accountability must follow. National labor authorities should be empowered and resourced to conduct inspections, investigate violations, and impose severe penalties such as license revocation or steep fines. This would help eliminate bad actors from the system and ensure that only compliant agencies operate across the EU labor market.

Moreover, the EU must amend the Employers’ Sanctions Directive, or enact complementary legislation to mandate joint liability between employers and the recruitment agencies they hire. This legal obligation would compel employers to verify the licensing status of their recruitment partners and actively monitor working conditions on-site. Joint liability must also be backed with enforcement measures: employers should face financial penalties, asset freezes, or direct legal consequences when abuses are uncovered. Without this legal muscle, efforts to regulate the recruitment chain risk becoming performative.

Conclusion

The abuses witnessed in France’s Champagne region are not anomalies but symptoms of systemic and legal failures within the EU’s labor system. Although legal instruments like the Employers’ Sanctions Directive were designed to mitigate exploitation, their inconsistent implementation has rendered them largely ineffective. To break this recurring cycle, the EU must undertake a comprehensive reassessment of the internal legal and regulatory gaps that enable exploitation to persist. Establishing a standardized licensing system for recruiters and mandating employer joint liability are not just policy upgrades; they are moral imperatives. Should the EU succeed in these reforms, it will set a global precedent for combating migrant labor exploitation.

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Glossary 

• Collective Bargaining Rights – Workers’ ability or right to negotiate wages and conditions collectively

• Employers’ Sanctions Directive (2009) – EU directive targeting illegal employment and intended worker protections.

• European Commission - The EU’s chief executive body is responsible for representing the Union’s collective interests by proposing legislation, enforcing treaties, managing the budget, and implementing policies across member states.

• EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) – Its function and role in monitoring member state compliance.

• EU Licensing System (for labor recruiters) – Proposed regulatory mechanism for oversight of agencies.

• Forced Labor – When a person is forced to work against their will due to factors like coercion, fraud, force, or threats. 

• Global Economic Asymmetry – Uneven distribution of wealth and job opportunities between countries..

• Human Trafficking – Illegally forcing someone to work or perform other activities that benefit someone else. 

• ILO (International Labour Organization) – UN agency setting global labor standards.

• Labor Inspections – State mechanisms for monitoring workplace compliance with labor law.

• Migrant Workers – Workers employed in nations they are not citizens of. 

• Recruitment Agency (e.g., Anavim) – Organizations that aim to help firms find employees. 

• Seasonal Workers – People who are employed for a short period. 

• Unpaid Wages – When an employer does not pay an employee. This is a common form of labor exploitation, linked to forced labor indicators.

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Sources

1. Admin. (2023, September 22). African youth face pressing challenges in the transition from school to work - ILOSTAT. ILOSTAT. https://ilostat.ilo.org/blog/african-youth-face-pressing-challenges-in-the-transition-from-school-to-work/

2. Afp, L. M. W. (2025, June 21). Champagne region employer faces prison sentence in human trafficking trial. Le Monde.fr. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2025/06/20/champagne-region-employer-faces-prison-sentence-in-human-trafficking-trial_6742543_7.html

3. Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. (n.d.). FRA report finds gaps in implementation of EU rules to protect migrant workers in irregular situations from exploitation - Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/fra-report-finds-gaps-in-implementation-of-eu-rules-to-protect-migrant-workers-in-irregular-situations-from-exploitation/

4. EU Monitor. (n.d.). Directive 2009/52 - For minimum standards on sanctions and measures against employers of illegally staying third-country nationals - EU monitor. https://www.eumonitor.eu/9353000/1/j4nvk6yhcbpeywk_j9vvik7m1c3gyxp/vitgbgir3ezu

5. Misra, N. (2007). The push & pull of globalization: How the global economy makes migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation. Human Rights Brief, 14(3), 2–4.