Corporate Social Responsibility for growth and social cohesion

European Parliament approves Report backing Commission's new strategy on Corporate Social Responsibility as 'the responsibility of enterprises for their impact on society'

"Through their involvement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), companies contribute to the Europe 2020 Strategy's objectives of sustainable development, a highly-competitive social market economy and to a more cohesive society, providing jobs and paving the way for economic recovery", said Raffaele Baldassarre MEP, Rapporteur on CSR in the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

"The approach on CSR should be business-driven and should take into account the special requirements of SMEs and the debate on CSR should be placed in a broader setting which, while ensuring that CSR remains primarily a voluntary policy, also leaves room for dialogue on regulatory measures, wherever appropriate, and endorses the new definition of CSR put forward by the Commission, which does away with the dichotomy between voluntary and compulsory approaches."

The EPP Group believes that any regulatory action should ensure that businesses retain the greatest possible flexibility of action, given that they bear primary responsibility for taking CSR forward.

"The European Parliament today sent a strong signal to the European Commission for an efficient implementation of its CSR strategy for 2014-2020, to the governments, prompting them to promote CSR through legal and fiscal incentives, but also to entrepreneurs, for them to dare to set up social and environmental norms that are ambitious, whatever the size and structure of their company may be!", said Philippe Boulland MEP, in charge of the dossier in the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament.

"We must support the companies which have already shown commitment to CSR, and encourage those SMEs which are still hesitant through fiscal and legal incentives. The creation of different rating agencies will also help companies to better communicate with investors and consumers on the efforts they make. Exemplary companies should also be better identified through specific labelling."

The EPP Group opposes 'catch-all' solutions, which fail to take account of the specific situations of the various markets and sectors and that could result in unnecessary red tape and counter-productive operational strictures.