The European Commission’s big idea on corporate responsibility – the
creation of a Europe-wide federation of companies called the European
Alliance for CSR – has been attacked by members of the European
parliament for being unclear and ill-defined.
The cross-party criticism was made in a parliamentary resolution passed
in Strasbourg last month. The resolution, supported by a large majority
after two days of debate, said the alliance, which was the only
proposal of note in the EC’s second white paper on CSR last year, needs
‘clear objectives’ and a timetable.
The MEPs propose that its objectives include the ‘development of new
models of best practice’, and more controversially, the ‘identification
and promotion of specific EU regulation to support CSR’. They say one
of its programmes of work – setting up ‘CSR laboratories’ that bring
business together with stakeholders to consider ‘new options … for
improved European policies’ – should be completed in two years. They
also call for the alliance to have a ‘single point of co-ordination’.
At present it is overseen by several bodies, including CSR Europe and
the European employers’ organization Unice.
The resolution says the alliance lacks a ‘strategic vision to inform
its work’ and even ‘minimum levels of organization and transparency’.
Richard Howitt, European parliament spokesman on CSR, told EP there was
widespread concern among MEPs that the aims of the industry grouping
are too vague, and that hardly anyone understands what it does. ‘The
alliance is the commission’s major initiative on CSR, yet even
businesses are asking what it’s all about, what it does and how they
become members,’ he said. ‘Gunter Verheugen [the commission’s
vice-president] agrees that the alliance must deliver and sharpen up
its act – that it must do more, and do it more quickly.’
Last year’s white paper described the alliance as an ‘umbrella for new
or existing CSR initiatives’ with no legal framework, no formal
requirements for the companies involved, and no new commission money to
support it. More than 50 mainly European companies have shown interest
in taking part by sharing ideas and spreading best practice, but many
MEPs fear it will become little more than a talking shop. ‘It needs
somebody, somewhere who can take charge, say what is going on and
oversee things,’ said Howitt.
During the debate, MEPs also drew attention to the commission’s failure
to reconvene its multi-stakeholder forum of NGOs, unions and business
people, which was set up to develop policy for the second white paper.
The forum dissolved in acrimony shortly before the paper was published,
mainly because NGOs felt their voices had been over-ridden (EP6, issue 4).
The white paper said the forum would be revived this year, but a dozen
key NGOs, including Amnesty International, Oxfam, and Friends of the
Earth, have refused to become involved this time round.
