Close Menu
    Latest Category
    • Finance
    • Tech
    • EU Law
    • Energy
    • About
    • Contact
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Login
    • EU News
    • Focus
    • Guides
    • Press
    • Jobs
    • Events
    • Directory
    EUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politicsEUbusiness.com | EU news, business and politics
    Home » Corporate Social Responsibility in the EU

    Corporate Social Responsibility in the EU

    eub2By eub225 August 2006 Social Policy in the EU No Comments3 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email
    — last modified 25 August 2006

    Companies throughout the European Union are showing growing awareness of the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in business.


    Advertisement


    The EU definition of CSR is:

    A concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis.  (Commission Green Paper 2001 “Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility”, COM(2001)366 Final)

    Amongst other things, this definition helps to emphasise that:

    • CSR covers social environmental issues, in spite of the English term corporate responsibility; 

    • CSR is not or should not be separate from business strategy and operations: it is about integrating social and environmental concerns into business strategy and operations; 

    • CSR is a voluntary concept; 

    • an important aspect of CSR is how enterprises interact with their internal and external stakeholders (employees, customers, neighbours, non-governmental organisations, public authorities, etc.)

    The Commission has recently published (22 March 2006) a new communication on CSR entitled “Implementing the Partnership for Growth and Jobs: Making Europe a pole of excellence on CSR” (COM(2006)136 final)

    In this communication, the Commission announces backing for .  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 . 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 .  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 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.

    Corporate Social Responsibility for SMEs: Documentation Centre

    European Commission CSR website

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    eub2
    • Website

    eub2 is the default publisher for EUbusiness.

    Related Content

    CEB logo

    Back-Office Operations Specialist, Council of Europe Development Bank

    Barcelona Womens Day - Image by Pablo Valerio from Pixabay

    One in 3 women in the EU experience gender-based violence

    2023 Strategic Foresight Report – guide

    European Care Strategy – guide

    European Accessibility Act – guide

    European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan – guide

    LATEST EU NEWS
    Accessibility - Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels

    EU accessibility act into force for key digital products

    30 June 2025
    Christophe Hansen - Photo © European Union 2025

    EU agrees new trade deal with Ukraine

    30 June 2025
    Space satellites - Photo by Kevin Stadnyk on Unsplash

    EU cuts red tape in space

    30 June 2025
    Euro - ECB-Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

    Glimmer of risk appetite post UK-US trade deals – Euro currency news daily

    30 June 2025
    Repair faulty goods - Image by Militiamobiles from Pixabay

    Cross-border disputes to be made easier under new EU alternative dispute resolution rules

    26 June 2025

    Subscribe to EUbusiness Week

    Get the latest EU news

    CONTACT INFO

    • EUbusiness Ltd 117 High Street, Chesham Buckinghamshire, HP5 1DE United Kingdom
    • +44(0)20 8058 8232
    • service@eubusiness.com

    INFORMATION

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Info

    Services

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms
    • EU News

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Facebook
    eubusiness.com © EUbusiness Ltd 2025

    Design and developed by : 

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Sign In or Register

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below.

    Lost password?