European Dialogue

CSR Europe's Dialogue and Engagement with EU Institutions

Since CSR Europe's inception, there has been ongoing interaction between CSR Europe and the European Commission as well as other EU institutions and stakeholder organisations.

European Council

In 1999, the Portuguese EU Presidency, in the presence of 100 representatives of business and government, invited Etienne Davignon and other leaders of CSR Europe to provide input into the European Council Summit on Employment, Economic Reform and Social Cohesion, held in Lisbon in March 2000.

In response to this invitation, top European business leaders prepared 12 concrete proposals for combining economic competitiveness and social responsibility, which were addressed to Heads of State and Governments.

In the conclusions of the spring European Council Summit, 15 Heads of State and Governments responded by making an appeal to business sense of responsibility, thereby placing CSR at the heart of the Lisbon Strategy 2010: "to make Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion by 2010".

Today CSR Europe's relationship with the European Council is largely realised through our participation in regular meetings of the High Level Group of National Representatives on CSR. CSR Europe is invited to discuss progress with regard to the European Alliance on CSR, based on our activities, and to explore the potential to bridge respective initiatives of businesses and public authorities.

European Parliament

CSR Europe has established regular contacts with members of the European Parliament, especially those responsible for producing the Parliament's CSR reports. This relationship has materialised through

• CSR Europe's participation in parliament hearings on CSR
• specific meetings between business and Members of Parliament
• hosting of European Parliament representatives at major events, such as CSR Europe's European MarketPlace on CSR.

The European Parliament has also specifically invited CSR Europe to deliver on the CSR Laboratories by the end of 2008. Read the Parliament's resolution of 13 March 2007 on corporate social responsibility.

European Commission

Since CSR Europe's inception, there has been ongoing interaction between CSR Europe and the European Commission, resulting in a strong cross-fertilisation of business and EU initiatives on CSR. Read more in the history section.

Today, the European Commission's CSR strategy is embodied in a communication addressed to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee, which was released in March 2006. This renewed CSR strategy contains three key elements that provide a framework for action:

• The European Alliance for CSR
• The European Multi-Stakeholder Forum and initiatives
• Integration of CSR within European policy

The European Alliance for CSR

This framework of action is a new political approach on CSR by the European Commission, which encompasses the objectives of aiding in the achievement of the European Strategy for Growth and Jobs.

The Alliance is based on a dual commitment: that the European Commission and members states strengthen a business friendly environment in which enterprises can flourish and grow; and that, through a voluntary approach, more enterprises in Europe and internationally will further learn and innovate with regards to their governance, management, stakeholder dialogue and product development.

Members of CSR Europe practically engage in the Alliance in five ways:

• Engaging in thematic CSR Laboratories
• Exchanging and disseminating CSR best practices
• Participating in High Level Meetings with other business leaders and European Commissioners
• Supporting the European Multi-Stakeholder Forum on CSR
• Engaging with universities and business schools to promote research and education on CSR

Read more about the Alliance.

The European Multi-Stakeholder Forum on CSR

This framework of action within the European Commission's CSR strategy has the mission of "fostering CSR through innovation, transparency and convergence of CSR practices."

The main objectives of the European Multi-Stakeholder Forum on CSR are to improve knowledge of CSR and sustainable development, while exploring opportunities for establishing common guiding principles.

The participants of the Forum vary from trade unions to business networks and organisations, employer organisations, and civil society groups.  

CSR Europe is one of four initial members of the coordination group for the Forum, established in 2002, and has always been a strong advocate. We have contributed to the objectives, process and rules of the Forum and, together with the European Social Platform, Business Europe and ETUC, have collaborated in the preparation of the Forum's final report and recommendations released in June 2004.

CSR Europe also actively participated in the first review meeting that took place in December 2006, contributing more than 140 initiatives that the European Commission included in the Forum Compendium.

Today, CSR Europe will continue to participate in the coordination committee of the Forum with a view to preparing the next conference, scheduled for end December 2008. Read more about the European Multi-Stakeholder Forum on the European Commission's website.

Integration of CSR within European Policy

This is the more political area of the European Commission's entire CSR strategy. It is intended to ensure that legislation or actions taken at two levels, member states and EU level, are correlated with developments in the other frameworks of action within the CSR strategy.

In light of this process, CSR Europe members meet officials of the European Commission on a regular basis. Examples include the following:

• Once a year, CEOs of companies supporting the European Alliance on CSR meet with the Vice President of the European Commission (Günter Verheugen) and the Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs (Vladimir Spidla) to review progress of the Alliance and to discuss strategic issues with regard to the challenges that businesses and the EU are facing on demographic change, competitiveness and sustainable development
• On 10 October 2007, CSR Europe and representatives of member companies held a high level meeting with 13 Director Generals of the European Commission to explore how to better link some key CSR priority areas - set out in the Alliance text and currently being addressed through Laboratories - with specific European policies and initiatives
• CSR Europe secretariat is regularly invited to meet with various services of the European Commission who are part of the Inter-Service Group on CSR

CSR Europe's Dialogue and Engagement with Other European Stakeholders

CSR Europe engages with multiple stakeholders through a number of different channels:

• The European Multi-Stakeholder Forum on CSR, a dialogue to review progress and gaps regarding CSR from a European perspective. Partners include for example ETUC, Business Europe, EUROSIF, Eurocadres.
• The European MarketPlace on CSR, a forum for the exchange of best practice solutions to CSR challenges, shared among company representatives, European policy makers and other stakeholders.
• Thematic CSR Laboratories that bring together business practitioners, stakeholders and EU representatives to share experience and engage in joint operational projects. Participants include for example: the Foreign Trade Association, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, the Dutch ministry of Economic Affairs, the European Federation of Financial Analysts.
• Provision of CSR helpdesk services to member companies, including facilitation of dialogue and engagement with stakeholders.
• CSR Europe and the Copenhagen Centre teamed up in 2002 with universities and business schools across Europe to found the European Academy of Business in Society. EABIS and CSR Europe share the same President, Viscount Etienne Davignon, as well as many corporate members, including the core founding members IBM, Johnson & Johnson, Shell, Microsoft and Unilever.