Activities of Richard HOWITT related to 2012/2097(INI)
Reports (1)
REPORT on Corporate Social Responsibility: promoting society’s interests and a route to sustainable and inclusive recovery PDF (386 KB) DOC (266 KB)
Amendments (73)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles launched in March 2010 which offer guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community and are a result of a collaboration between UN Women and the United Nations Global Compact;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)
Citation 7 b (new)
- having regard to the "Consistency Project," a collaborative project between the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) designed to support greater consistency of approach to the demand for and supply of corporate climate change-related information;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 15
Citation 15
– having regard to the October 2010 study produced for the Commission on governance gaps between international corporate social responsibility instruments and standards and existing European legislation (known as the ‘Edinburgh Study’), the findings of which were reported in the 2011 European Parliament Annual Human Rights Report, fully endorsed by the European Council;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the concept of "corporate social responsibility" typically used in the EU institutions should be regarded as largely indistinguishable from related concepts of responsible or ethical business, "environment, society and governance," sustainable development and corporate accountability;
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the multi-stakeholder approach must remain the cornerstone of all EU-backed initiatives on CSR, and the basis of the most credible CSR by business itself, starting from the local level;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas the Global Reporting Initiative has provided the most widely accepted methodology internationally by far for business transparency and whereas the formation of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) involving the major global accountancy standard-setting bodies indicates corporate sustainability reporting integrated in financial accounts will become the global norm within less than a decade;
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas ground-breaking work by the Prince’s Accounting for Sustainability Project, by TEEB for Business and by the United Nations Environmental Programme has now made it possible for business to fully and accurately understand the monetary valuation of its external social and environmental impact and thus build it in to the financial management of the company;
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas there has been a sea-change in the investment community with 1123 investors representing $32trn total assets under management endorsing the UN Principles of Responsible Investment (UNPRI); the European Sustainable Investment Forum estimates that the global SRI market reached approximately €7 trillion as of September 2010 and 82 investors led by Aviva Global Investors and representing US$50trillion total assets under management leading the call at the UN Summit for Sustainable Development for corporate sustainability reporting to be made mandatory;
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
Af. whereas the formation of the European Multi-stakeholder Platform on CSR, the undertaking of a series of pilot projects and research projects, the activities of the former Alliance for Business have all established a firm track record for European action in the field of CSR, together with continuing valuable contribution made by a ‘family’ of European CSR organisations including CSR Europe, the European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS), the European Social Investment Forum (Eurosif), and the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ);
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A g (new)
Recital A g (new)
Ag. whereas, although it is essential to establish a core set of common standards for CSR, differences in the materiality of different social and environmental questions necessitates differential approaches to CSR according to different industrial sectors;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A h (new)
Recital A h (new)
Ah. whereas company codes of conduct have played an important role in initiating and raising awareness of CSR, but are an insufficient response given frequent lack of specificity, inconsistency with existing international standards, examples of avoidance of material issues, lack of comparability and transparency in application;
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A i (new)
Recital A i (new)
Ai. whereas the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights were agreed unanimously in the United Nations with the full support of EU member states, the International Organisation of Employers and the International Chambers of Commerce, including support for the concept of a "smart mix" between regulatory and voluntary actions;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A j (new)
Recital A j (new)
Aj. whereas former UN Secretary General Special Representative Ruggie appealed to EU Member States to clarify and support the issue of extraterritorial jurisdiction for violations by companies in fragile third countries as part of the CSR Conference convened by the then Swedish Presidency, which was subsequently endorsed in European Council conclusions, but that currently no action has been taken in response;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A k (new)
Recital A k (new)
Ak. whereas the European Commission study in to governance gaps between international CSR instruments and standards and existing European legislation known as "the Edinburgh Study," published in October 2010 and whose results were reported in the 2011 Annual Human Rights Report fully endorsed by the European Council and European Parliament;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A l (new)
Recital A l (new)
Al. whereas the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprise are the most credible international CSR standard and that the Update agreed in May 2011 presents a significant opportunity to advance implementation of CSR;
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A m (new)
Recital A m (new)
Am. whereas numerous international initiatives have taken place to secure mandatory sustainability reporting by business, including the requirement to report for Chinese state-owned businesses, for businesses to report on implementation of CSR Guidelines developed by the Government of India, and for businesses to disclose their sustainability performance required as a stock exchange listing requirement in Brazil, South Africa and Malaysia and by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A n (new)
Recital A n (new)
An. whereas the Danish Financial Statements Act (2008) on corporate sustainability reporting with specific additional reporting requirements on climate change and on human rights impact has proven hugely popular with Danish business, with 97 per cent choosing to report despite its "comply or explain" provision within the first three years of its application;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A o (new)
Recital A o (new)
Ao. whereas France and Denmark have agreed to be two of four UN member state governments who have agreed to lead implementation of the UN Rio +20 commitment on corporate sustainability reporting;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A p (new)
Recital A p (new)
Ap. whereas the update of the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprise led by the Netherlands has offered the opportunity to upgrade their visibility and status through the system of "national contact points," ended the "investment nexus" which prevented their full application to the supply chain and fully integrated the UN Principles on Business and Human Rights;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A q (new)
Recital A q (new)
Aq. whereas the European Parliament resolution on Europe 2020 states that there is an inextricable link between corporate responsibility and corporate governance;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A r (new)
Recital A r (new)
Ar. whereas the "Green Winners" 2009 study of 99 companies which showed that in 16 separate industrial sectors, companies with CSR strategies out- performed their industry average by at least 15 per cent, representing extra market capitalisation of €498 ($650m) per company;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A s (new)
Recital A s (new)
As. whereas the Global CEO survey 2012 shows that business recognises that growth requires working closely with local populations with, for example, over 60% planning to increase investments in the next three years to help maintain the health of the workforce;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recognises that the Commission cCommunication is part of a series of policy statements thanks to which CSR is now embedded in EU policies and an established principle for European action;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Agrees, nevertheless, with the analysis set out in the communication to the effect that CSR practices are still largely confined to a minority of big companies, and that the direct appeal for more companies to embrace CSR in the 2001 and 2006 Commission communications largely failed to come to fruition; notes also the need to engage SMEs in the debate on CSR many of whom are willing but who lack recognition that many of the day-to- day actions they take are in fact core elements of corporate social responsibility;
Amendment 42 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Believes that the global financial crisis provides a real risk that policy makers including in the EU will suffer their own fatal short-termism, focusing exclusively on measures for narrowly-defined transparency and accountability in financial markets and neglecting the urgent need for the financial as well as all industrial sectors to address pressing and over-riding challenges of environmental degradation and social disintegration in an integrated way;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Warns that businesses can only be sustainable in the future if they exist within a sustainable economy, and that there can be no alternative to transformation to a low-carbon future which also encompasses preservation of social and natural capital in the world, a process in which CSR must play a decisive role;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Believes that future key drivers for ‘scaling up’ CSR will include an emphasis on global CSR instruments, fresh momentum from leading businesses among their peers, the use of appropriate regulation, a robust impact analysis of existing CSR initiatives, and increasing recognition within both the business community and wider society of thabout the huge scale of global social and environmental challenges; facing Europe and the world
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Supports the Commission’s intention to deepen CSR in Europe by producing guidelines and supporting multi- stakeholder initiatives for individual industrial sectors, and appeals to leading companies and associations to embrace this initiative;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Reiterates that CSR must move from process to outcome;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the fact that the definition of CSR set out in the Commission communication, which reflects the new approach first adopted by the Commission in the Multi-stakeholder Forum in 2009, provides an indispensable opportunity for inclusivity and consensus-building, and properly reflects the new consensus reached between business and other stakeholders on this issue thanks to the unanimous agreement of the UN Guiding Principles and other instruments such as the ISO 26000 Guidance Standard on Social Responsibility;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Strongly commends the contribution made by the Commissioners for Employment, Enterprise and Internal Market and their services for the forward- looking and constructive approach contained within the Commission Communication; acknowledges the contribution of other parts of the Commission through the Inter-Service Group on CSR; nevertheless calls on the President of the Commission to give personal leadership in the field of CSR and to ensure there is full "ownership" of the Commission’s commitment to CSR in particular in the Directorates General for Environment and in those covering external relations;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Restates its belief in the ‘business case’ for CSR, but reiterates that, where such a case does not apply in the short term in any given situation or company, it can never be used as an excuse for choosing irresponsibility; believes sufficient existing research exists to prove the "business case" and the priority should be the dissemination of that research; calls for new research on CSR to be devoted to assessment of the cumulative impact of changed business behaviour due to CSR in dealing with overall European and global challenges such as carbon emissions, water acidification, extreme poverty, child labour or inequality, and for the lessons learnt to be fed in to Europe’s future input in developing global CSR initiatives;
Amendment 66 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Agrees with the Commission’s analysis that CSR is increasingly important for a company’s social license to operate, given the incidence of social protest such as the anti-globalisation and "Occupy" movements, of social conflicts and sometimes confrontational industrial relations; believes that the European Union itself must adopt CSR as its own ‘social licence’ to pursue trade and economic benefits with other countries and regions of the world; in particular considers that CSR must be a ‘core’ part of Europe’s trade policies;
Amendment 69 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recognises that a deep flaw in CSR initiatives arises when companies avoid critical interest groups or sensitive issues relevant to their business; calls on the Commission, working with financial authorities, to build on the previous work of CSR ‘laboratories’ in order better to identify how companies and their stakeholders can objectively pinpoint social and environmental issues which are ‘material’ to the business in question; and for a fair and balanced selection of stakeholders to be involved in company CSR initiatives;
Amendment 87 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Invites the Multi-stakeholder Forum to consider possible courses of action in response to the growRecognises that the economic crisis has been accompanied by a rise ing casualisation of employment, enforced part-time working in place of full-time employment, the rise infor many who aspire to full-time jobs; a rise in sometimes exploitative work in particular through increased sub- contracting and thea resurgence ofin the informal sector, all of which are a result of the economic crisis; calls on the European Commission and the European Multi-stakeholder Forum to specifically examine the growth of sub-contracting as a response to the economic crisis and to come forward with recommendations for responsible business; urges this work to be informed by the UN Guiding Principles applicability to the supply chain and in particular to the concept of "impact assessment" irrespective of different tiers of supplier;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recognises that business closures and retrenchment are jeopardising some of the gains made through CSR in terms of the employment of marginalised groups in societysuch as employment of marginalised groups in society, improving training and status for these workers, promoting the "living wage," innovating new forms of socially- useful production and services for example through credit unions, promoting new models of employment through social businesses, cooperatives and fair trade; calls on the European Commission to undertake a major analysis of the social impact of the crisis on suchthese initiatives, and to fully consult with social partners and with CSR stakeholders on its outcome;
Amendment 107 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Believes the financial crisis has shaken employee confidence in company obligations to meet long-term private pension entitlements; believes companies must be fully accountable for pension investments made including for maintaining payments on a regular and continuous basis; calls on companies to take action to redress the imbalance in the eyes of many employees, who believe that their pension entitlements have been disproportionately cut; following the crisis; invites responsible companies to address this problem working with the Commission and the social partners, including by establishing open, inclusive and rules-based arrangements for managing pension investments, and as part of the wider challenge within CSR to address active ageing in an era of demographic change;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. EndorseStrongly commends the emphasis given in the Commission communication to strengthening and implementing international standards, and – in view of the 2011 update of the OECD Guidelines and agreement of the UN Guiding Principles – believes that a major emphasis of EU action must now be on the full implementation of those guidelines and principles amongst European business;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Welcomes in particular the inclusion of the ICT sector for specific European guidelines on business and human rights; recognises the genuine dilemmas created by the need to protect privacy and combat criminal content on the one hand with the objective of defending freedom of expression on the other, as evidenced by the recent controversy created by the anti- Islamic video posted on YouTube; calls for many more European companies to engage with the leading multi-stakeholder initiative in this respect, the Global Network Initiative (GNI), whose membership is currently dominated by US-based companies;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Insists that all ‘finance for trade and development’ offered to private-sector actors by EU investment facilities, the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development should include contractual clauses requiring compliance with the OECD Guidelines and the UN Guiding Principleon Multinational Enterprises and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, with a clear complaints mechanism and sufficient capacity to independently evaluate alleged breaches; reiterates its call for Member States to do the same with respect to the issuing of Export Credits to business;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Welcomes the Commission’s initiative on national action plans for the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ; calls on the European External Action Service (EEAS) to play a far greater role in helping to lead implementation at a senior level; calls for a ‘peer review process’ to take place between Member States in order to advance implementation; calls for the European Commission and EEAS to undertake an evaluation of implementation of the action plans together with an assessment of actions taken at EU level to report to the European Council and Parliament by the end of 2014;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Recognises that companies increasingly operate in fragile states and that they have a duty of care to protect their staff from conflict, terrorism and organised crime; nevertheless insists that companies have an equal duty to ensure security arrangements do not prejudice peace or security of others where they operate and which can open them up to accusations of complicity in human rights violation; calls on the Commission and the Member States to secure far greater adoption of the international Voluntary Security Principles and to seek agreement of an international regulatory framework on the regulation, monitoring and oversight of the activities of private military and security companies (PMSCs);
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls on enterprises and other stakeholders to engage constructively in the Commission’s process on sector- specific human rights guidance, and to use the resulting guidance when it is complete;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Calls on the Commission, in particular its DG Justice, to put forward proposals for better facilitating extraterritorial jurisdiction in EU courts foraccess to justice in EU courts for the most extreme, egregious cases of human or labour rights violation by EU- uropean-based businesses or, their subsidiaries or business partners; where there is insufficient access to remedy in a third country where the alleged violation has taken place, as recommended by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Business and Human Rights;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Believes the "Green Matters" study shows definitively the positive link between companies pursuing CSR and achieving better financial performance as they emerge from the crisis; endorses the concept of "responsible competitiveness" and underlines that the potential market for socially and environmentally useful goods and services remains a crucial market opportunity for companies as well as meeting societal need;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Shares the view of business identified in the Global CEO Survey 2012 that sustainable business growth requires close working with local populations, governments and business partners, and investing in local communities; supports and calls for intensification of business initiatives in job creation, training, helping to manage resource constraints and contributing to health solutions;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Calls on the European Commission, in particular its DG Trade, to move from a "passive" to an ‘"active’" approach to the OECD Guidelines, ensuring the promotion of, and continuous support for, those guidelines through the EU’s Delegationincluding through specifically adhering to them similar to the commitment already made to the Investment Principles, ensuring promotion and continuous support for the OECD Guidelines through the EU’s Delegations in third countries, funding capacity-building initiatives with businesses, trade unions and civil society in third countries on implementation of the Guidelines, ensuring the Guidelines are specifically cited in all new agreements between the EU and third countries including all trade and investment treaties; for the European Union to mount a major diplomatic effort to persuade more countries internationally to become signatories and by providing concrete support to civil society groups for "specific instances" of alleged breaches to be raised, in cooperation with Member States;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Believes that CSR is an important tool into helping the EU touropean Union support the implementation of ILO conventionsnternational Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions internationally; supports the provision of funding to enable European trade unions to undertake pilot projects on the OECD Guidelines and other international CSR standards with a view to building capacity in third countrieto build capacity with unions in third countries; asks the European Commission to set a specific target for negotiation and agreement of new Framework Agreements on CSR-related issues and to invite the social partners to conclude these within the context of their new sectorally-based approach to CSR; invites the European Commission in particular the DG Employment to integrate labour standards in CSR by conducting pilot projects on "Decent Work" with third country governments;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Agrees with the Commission communication that "respect for applicable legislation and for collective agreements between social partners is a prerequisite for meeting CSR"; believes CSR should complement, but in no way replace, legislation, collective bargaining or dialogue with workers organised in trade unions that companies should commit themselves to discuss their CSR policy – and elements such as an annual company report on the social and environmental impact of their activities - with the employees and their representatives; believes that an optional frame of rules for EFAs should be adopted on the basis of the possible contents of such a framework, as described in Staff Working Document from the Commission on that subject.
Amendment 137 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes those from business use ofwho used the UN Rio+20 summit to advocate a new global convention on corporate responsibility in the UN system; believes that although such a convention is probably some years away, Europe should constructively engage in the debate; nevertheless believes that such discussions must not distract policy- makers in business and government from proceeding with implementation of existing CSR instruments as a matter of urgency; draws attention to the fact that there are different models on how new forms of global governance on CSR might emerge as well as through the UN system, for example by promoting the growth of the OECD Guidelines amongst non- members or through a free-standing initiative from like-minded governments; calls on the European Union, the European Commission and the Member States to develop and advocate specific proposals for a concrete and verifiable business contribution to be agreed as part of the proposed UN Sustainable Development goals post-2015;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Endorses the view, dating from the June 2004first report of the Multi-stakeholder Forum, in June 2004 that public authorities can makeplay a significant contribution byrole using convening, incentivising ands well as regulatory roles to advance CSR, and calls on the Member States through the High Level Group and elsewhere to give a major new impetus to these efforts;
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Invites the Commission and Member States given the multi-stakeholder approach to CSR, to consider broadening observer attendance at the bi-annual High Level Group meetings to include observer representatives comprising the two Rapporteurs from Relevant committees of the European Parliament, representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Human Rights Council and the International Labour Organisation, and from one nominee each from European business, trade unions and civil society agreed from the co-ordinating committee of the Multi- Stakeholder Forum;
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Recognises that social indicators lag behind environmental indices in terms of economic valuation and general specificity in many CSR initiatives; despite the handbook on social procurement believes that the European Union itself has been too constrained in this area; calls for a study on "valuing social capital" leading to a wide-ranging European-led debate on better integrating social impact in sustainable business management; supports funding for pilot projects to develop social indices, social ratings agencies and the practice of social auditing in some Member States and business sectors;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Remains unclear how far successive amendments to EU procurement rules have actually been taken-up by public authorities and what overall impact has been achieved in improved environmental or social performance of business as a result as well as to incentivising CSR; calls for further research and evaluation of impact accordingly leading to clear recommendations to provide easily- understandable incentives to business; asks for this to include study of the growing practice of businesses building in CSR clauses in their own private purchasing i.e. in business-to-business contracts, and calls for the identification of good practice in this area;
Amendment 150 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Paragraph 18 d (new)
18d. Commends the Commission for undertaking CSR pilot projects to support employee volunteering schemes; urges all Member States to include employee volunteering in their national action plans; calls for a "compact" to be signed through the European Volunteer Centre (CEV) to engage civil society organisations from throughout Europe to engage business to this objective; points out that practical schemes such as mentoring or genuine work exchange schemes can break down barriers for unemployed and excluded people and contribute to social and economic objectives; supports a formal examination of the ‘Solidarité proposal’ for an inter- institutional human resources programme in the EU institutions to facilitate the involvement of the institutions’ staff and trainees in volunteering, humanitarian and social activities, both as part of staff training and volunteering in their own time;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 e (new)
Paragraph 18 e (new)
18e. Encourages the use of Information Communication Technology and social media to encourage those interested globally to take a more active part in multi-stakeholder consultations;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Commends many Member States for theirconsiderable efforts to develop and implement national action plans on CSR in consultation with national multi- stakeholder forums; expresses concern, however, that the number of public policy measures is not yet matched by their impact in advancing CSRs in many EU countries; however expresses concern that a large variety of public policy measures has yet to yield significant visible impact in advancing CSR; calls for there to be greater research and evaluation into public policy measures on CSR at the European level; calls for the European Commission itself to show its own "leadership by example" as a responsible employer by publishing it’s own CSR report according to the GRI’s public sector supplement, offering Commission staff ‘matched’ time-off to pursue employee volunteering initiatives and by reviewing use of pension fund investments according to ethical criteria;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls for the European Year of Citizenship 2013 to include a specific strand on business citizenship, inviting entrepreneurs and business people to engage with existing CSR initiatives in Member States and at the EU-level to promote and develop the concept of a "good corporate citizen";
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Welcomes the European Commission's intention to base its new award scheme by building on existing practices on this area; believes that the awards can incentivise CSR but only if winners represent genuine best practice at their national, European and global level; invites the European Commission to set up an independent panel of experts to assess this and to "audit" the scheme in this and future years on a continuing basis; asks that the publicity around the awards reflects the real complexity of the challenges being faced and emphasises lessons for all companies and not exclusively the winners;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission to accelerate its efforts to putbring forward new proposals forin its work programme to meeting governance gaps with regard to international CSR standards, as recommended in the ‘Edinburgh Study’ it commissioned;
Amendment 161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20a. Commends the European Commission’s plans to advance initiatives in the fields of responsible production and consumption; believes the EU can build on the experience of CSR initiatives which have undertaken specific training and capacity-building for purchasers within companies; believes the planned initiative on transparency can be a major driver for the ethical consumer movement; remains sceptical of new initiatives for social and environmental labels at an EU-wide, national or sectoral level, instead preferring continuing support to existing labelling initiatives to continuously promote collaboration from "bottom-up" under the auspices of the International Social and Environmental Accreditation and Labelling (ISEAL) Alliance;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that a key driver of the socially responsible investment market remains institutional investor demand; notes, in this vein, that disclosure is a key driver of CSR and must be principles-based; welcomes the Commission’s moves to engage with the investor community on CSR issues; calls for this engagement to be firmly based on support for the UN Principles for Responsible investment and the principle of integrated reporting (IR);
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Notes that beneficiaries of long-term investors such as pension funds have an interest in sustainable returns and in responsible corporate behaviour; believes that it is important that the incentives of investment agents are effectively aligned with beneficiaries’ interests, and do not restrict them to a narrow interpretation of those interests which focuses solely on the maximisation of short-term returns; endorses a legal framework supports this aim; welcomes that the Commission is developing proposals on long-term investing and on corporate governance which will help to address these issues
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Fully supports the Commission's intention to put forward a legislative proposal on ‘non-financial disclosure’ by businesses; commends that this proposal is based on a wide-ranging public consultation as well as a series of workshops with relevant stakeholders; warns that use of the term ‘non-financial’ should not disguise the very real financial consequences for business of social, environmental and human-rights- related impact; calls for an ambitious proposal which places the EU right among the many current international initiatives on mandatory corporate sustainability reporting and squarely within the objective of making Integrated Reporting, as being developed by the IIRC, the global norm by the end of the decade;
Amendment 184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Endorses a continuing leading role for the European Multi-stakeholder Forum in supporting the implementation of the proposals set out in the Commission communication; calls on all participants to engage in the work of the forum with an approach which is flexible, open-minded and consensus-building in the true spirit of CSR;
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Insists that trade union rights and freedoms are at the centre of any CSR strategy, commends the extensive EU framework of sectoral and cross-sectoral social dialogue structures and calls for full and active consultation and involvement of representative organisations and trade unions in particular in the development, operation and monitoring of companies' CSR processes and structures, working with employers in a genuine partnership approach;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Calls for CSR policies to include specific measures to tackle the unlawful practice of blacklisting workers and denying them access to employment, often due to their trade union membership and activities or health and safety representative role;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Paragraph 23 c (new)
23c. Insists that any enterprise that is found to be blacklisting workers or breaching human rights and labour standards should be excluded from receiving EU grants and funding and from taking part in calls for tender for other public procurement contracts at EU, national or public authority level;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)
Paragraph 23 d (new)
23d. Asks the Commission to introduce a more open and clear procedure for filing and considering complaints of non- compliance to CSR principles, including enforcement mechanisms and initiating investigations, where necessary;
Amendment 189 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 e (new)
Paragraph 23 e (new)
23e. Notes that CSR policies must be respected not only by the main company or contractor but also by any sub- contractors or supply chains which it may use, whether in the supply of goods, workers or services and whether based in the EU or in a third country, thereby ensuring a level playing field based on fair pay and decent working conditions, and guaranteeing trade union rights and freedoms;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 f (new)
Paragraph 23 f (new)
23f. Endorses the Commission's Directive on minimum standards for victims and calls for the CSR policies of companies in the relevant sectors (such as travel, insurance, accommodation and telecommunications) to include positive and practical strategies and structures to support victims of crime and their families during a crisis, and to set up specific policies for any employee who becomes a victim of crime, whether in the workplace or outside;
Amendment 201 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Believes that the notion that CSR is a "luxury good" supported by business only in good economic times has been decisively refuted by the continuing high levels of business engagement with CSR; believes that this was an old-fashioned assumption which ignores the importance of reputation and also of the level of external risk to modern business profitability; calls for all European policy- makers to themselves integrate CSR at all levels of economic policy including reinforcing CSR within the Europe 2020 Strategy;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Commends the work being undertaken in some business schools to promote CSR, but recognises that they are only a minority; calls on the High-Level Group to address ways of mainstreaming CSR into management education for all future business leaders; believes that this must begin with CSR education for school-age children involved in young entrepreneurship schemes;