Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): From Study to Practice in Brussels and Zagreb

From 21 to 25 March, 2011, CSR Europe played host to ten representatives of a cross-section of Croatian business associations and civil society who seek to form a national corporate social responsibility (CSR) platform in Croatia: HR BCSD, HUS, HUP, EFZG, HUB, HGK and Global Compact Croatia.  As partners to a European Union (EU) project aimed at supporting the national initiative, they came together from Zagreb to Brussels with a CSR study tour on the agenda.

CSR Europe provided the content and logistical support by establishing meetings and coordinating the week’s activities. The project partners and CSR Europe had agreed on doing this study tour in 2009 at the time when the project proposal was submitted to the EU. In addition, HR BCSD was then and is now a member of CSR Europe.

The aim of the study tour was to learn about the ways in which CSR is being addressed and put into practice by a variety of the most relevant actors at EU level. This, in turn, would help inform the seven Croatian organisations in further developing their cooperation towards establishing a permanent government-endorsed national CSR platform (with reference to benchmarks at EU level). 

The tour consisted of 13 meetings with representatives of business associations, trade unions, non-governmental organisations, academia, the European Parliament and the European Commission. Each 30 to 90 minute meeting was held either at CSR Europe offices or at the participating organisation’s offices to facilitate interactive and informative discussions. In the meetings, several overlapping study tour objectives were met.

The Croatian organisations gained a deeper understanding of CSR approaches and strategies in Europe, the focus areas of the European Commission, the role of states in the field and best practice examples. Discussions also centred on the roles of stakeholder groups, their expectations and how they influence EU policy. Other key topics which the project partners drew from in part to further apply back home included stakeholder dialogue, company partnerships and CSR implementation among companies and stakeholder groups. The study tour also shed light on CSR work and education in Belgium.

Other successes revolved around networking not least in establishing keynote speakers for the project’s national CSR conference, held in Zagreb on 6 June 2011, and in learning about a relevant database for the project on company case studies. The project partners learned a great deal from representatives of the European Union, business community and civil society whose interests also lie in promoting company best practices.  The learning indeed took place on a two-way street as the participating organisations also gained knowledge and posed questions on the role of CSR in Croatia. Overall, the dynamic exchanges between the project partners, CSR Europe and the participating organisations supported not only further development of a CSR approach in and for Croatia but also about how to promote it.

For further information please contact Eva Tabernig: et@csreurope.org.