Unternehmen bekräftigen Engagement für Lissabon-Ziele und soziale Verantwortung

Der Ansatz der EU und Mitgliedstaaten zur sozialen Verantwortung von Unternehmen (CSR) solle auf dem Prinzip der ‚Freiwilligkeit‘ basieren. Diese Auffassung vertraten Unternehmensvertreter bei einer Veranstaltung zum zehnten Jahrestag des CSR-Konzepts.

The language of the CSR Europe-led “European Roadmap for Business – Towards a Sustainable and Competitive Enterprise” fits in with the EU’s Lisbon strategy discourse and comes a few weeks before the launch of a new CSR Communication by the Commission. 

The six-page document argues that voluntary commitments on the part of European businesses have helped them to achieve substantial progress in CSR. Therefore, the document builds its commitments on the premise that CSR should remain a voluntary initiative beyond legal requirements.

It sets goals in five areas for European businesses: innovation and entrepreneurship, skills and competence building, equal opportunities and diversity, health and safety and environmental protection. 

Companies signing up to the document would achieve these goals by fully integrating CSR into their business practices, engaging their stakeholders, providing leadership and governance, improving communication and transparency and by building business-to-business co-operations and alliances.

Finally, the roadmap makes an appeal to the EU and governments to deliver on Lisbon and to support a voluntary approach to CSR as well as a regular dialogue with business. It also appeals to employees and their representatives, consumer organisations and NGOs, investors and academia.