Fare dell’Europa un polo di eccellenza in materia di CSR

La Commissione Europea ha pubblicato in data 22 marzo 2006 una nuova comunicazione COM(136)2006 sulla Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa intitolata “Il Partenariato per la Crescita e l’Occupazione: Fare dell’Europa un polo di eccellenza in materia di Responsabilità Sociale delle Imprese”.
Il progetto sostenuto dall’Esecutivo Ue (“Alleanza europea per la responsabilità sociale delle imprese”) si pone come uno strumento politico che mira a far nascere partenariati tra le imprese interessate a migliorare, oltre gli standard minimi di legge, delle condizioni dei lavoratori e prestazioni ambientali delle strutture produttive.Il riassunto in inglese:
In this communication, the Commission announces backing for a European Alliance for CSR. This is an open alliance of European enterprises to further promote and encourage CSR. The alliance is a political umbrella for CSR initiatives by large companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, and their stakeholders. It is not a legal instrument to be signed by enterprises, but rather a vehicle for mobilising the resources and capacities of European enterprises and their stakeholders in the interests of sustainable development, economic growth and job creation.
The communication acknowledges that enterprises are the primary actors in CSR, but also stresses the important contribution of non-business stakeholders. In the text, the Commission states that “it continues to attach utmost importance to dialogue with and between all stakeholders”, and recognises that “without the active support and constructive criticism of non-business stakeholders, CSR will not flourish.”
The communication underlines the potential of CSR to contribute to sustainable development and to the European Growth and Jobs Strategy. The Commission suggests that CSR practices, while not a substitute for public policy, can nevertheless contribute to a number of public policy objectives, such as: skills development, more rational use of natural resources, better innovation performance, poverty reduction, and greater respect for human rights.
The communication also identifies 8 areas which the Commission will emphasise in further promoting CSR:
Awareness-raising and best practice exchange
Support to multi-stakeholder initiatives
Cooperation with Member States
Consumer information and transparency
Research
Education
Small and medium-sized enterprises
The international dimension of CSR

The communication and backing for the launch of the European Alliance mark an important new stage in the development of European policy on CSR.