BETA


2009/2201(INI) Corporate and social responsibility in international trade agreements

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead INTA DÉSIR Harlem (icon: S&D S&D) HANDZLIK Małgorzata (icon: PPE PPE)
Committee Opinion EMPL BERÈS Pervenche (icon: S&D S&D)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2011/05/02
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2010/11/25
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2010/11/25
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 480 votes to 48, with 6 abstentions, a resolution on corporate social responsibility in international trade agreements.

Parliament notes that global challenges have been sharpened by the financial crisis and its social consequences, and have lead to worldwide discussion on the need for a new regulatory approach and governance issues in the world economy , including international trade. Parliament takes the view that the new, more efficient and better-enforced rules should contribute to the development of more sustainable policies which genuinely take into account social and environmental concerns. It notes, further, that globalisation has increased competitive pressure among countries to attract foreign investors and competition between corporations, which has sometimes led to serious abuses of human and labour rights and damage to the environment in order to attract trade and investment.

The resolution recalls that the principles underpinning CSR, which are fully recognised at international level, whether by the OECD, the ILO or the United Nations, concern the responsible behaviour expected of undertakings and presuppose, first of all, compliance with the legislation in force , in particular in the areas of employment, labour relations, human rights, the environment, consumer interests and transparency vis-à-vis consumers, the fight against corruption and taxation.

Parliament recalls that promoting CSR is an objective supported by the EU and that the Commission takes the view that the Union must ensure that the external policies it implements make a genuine contribution to the sustainable development and to the social development of the countries concerned and that the actions of European corporations, wherever they invest and operate, are in accordance with European values and internationally agreed norms.

CSR fully integrated in the trade agreements concluded by the EU : Parliament takes the view that the social clauses in trade agreements should be complemented by the incorporation of the concept of CSR. It calls for CSR principles and obligations to be taken into account and integrated into the future Commission communication on ‘A New Trade Policy for Europe under the EUROPE 2020 Strategy'. Considering CSR to be an effective tool for improving competitiveness, skills and training opportunities, occupational safety and the working environment, as well as promoting a sustainable environmental policy (although it clearly cannot supplant labour regulations or collective agreements), Members call for companies to be urged to apply CSR with a view to safeguarding the physical integrity of workers and to respect the human rights, in particular in SMEs.

Parliament also points out that CSR should also address new areas such as: i) the organisation of work; ii) equal opportunities and social inclusion; iii) anti-discrimination measures; iv) the development of lifelong education and training; v) quality of work; vi) equality of pay and career prospects and vii) the promotion of innovative projects.

In parallel, Parliament recalls that companies and their subsidiaries are among the main players in economic globalisation and international trade. In this context, it calls on the Commission to investigate the possibility of establishing a harmonised definition of the relations between an undertaking designated the ‘parent company’ and all undertakings in a relationship of dependency with respect to that company, whether those undertakings are subsidiaries, suppliers or sub-contractors, in order to establish the legal liability of each of them. Given the key role played by corporations, their subsidiaries and their supply chains in international trade, that corporate social and environmental responsibility must become an integral part of the European Union’s trade agreements;

More generally, Parliament recommends the promotion of good CSR practices by all companies , irrespective of where they operate. Citing the important role of the social dialogue in developing best practice in terms of CSR, it calls for a ‘CRS culture’ to be spread through training and awareness-raising, and by the strengthened role of European Works Councils.

Members also call for:

CSR to be incorporated into the GSP and GSP+ generalised systems of preferences while ensuring that transnational companies, whether or not they have their registered office in the European Union, whose subsidiaries or supply chains are located in countries participating in the GSP, and in particular in GSP+, are required to comply with their national and international legal obligations in the areas of human rights, labour standards and environmental rules; New impact assessments on sustainable development should be undertaken in order to properly reflect the economic, social, human rights and environmental implications, including climate change mitigation goals, of trade negotiations and include appropriate follow-up by the Commission. The Parliament should also be kept fully informed on how the findings of these Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIA) of agreements are incorporated into negotiations prior to their conclusion.

Parliament also calls for:

CSR to be incorporated into the GSP and GSP+ generalised systems of preferences while ensuring that transnational companies, whether or not they have their registered office in the European Union, whose subsidiaries or supply chains are located in countries participating in the GSP, and in particular in GSP+, are required to comply with their national and international legal obligations in the areas of human rights, labour standards and environmental rules. Parliament urges that the European Union and the states participating in and benefiting from the GSP should be required to ensure that corporations fulfil these obligations. It calls for such compliance to be made a binding requirement in the context of the GSP;

New impact assessments on sustainable development should be undertaken in order to properly reflect the economic, social, human rights and environmental implications, including climate change mitigation goals, of trade negotiations and include appropriate follow-up by the Commission. The Parliament should also be kept fully informed on how the findings of these Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIA) of agreements are incorporated into negotiations prior to their conclusion.

CSR clauses in all the European Union's trade agreements : Parliament proposes, in more general terms, that future trade agreements negotiated by the Union should incorporate a chapter on sustainable development which includes a ‘CSR clause’. This clause would incorporate the following:

mutual undertaking by the two parties to promote internationally-agreed CSR instruments in the context of the agreement and their trade relations; incentives to encourage undertakings to enter into CSR commitments negotiated with all the social dialogue stakeholders; a requirement – which takes into account the specific situation and capabilities of SMEs within the scope of the recommendation 2003/361/CE of May 2003 and according to the ‘think small first’ principle– for corporations to publish their CSR balance sheets at least every two or three years to encourage the visibility and credibility of CSR practices; a requirement for undertakings to show due diligence, i.e. a requirement to take measures in advance with a view to identifying and preventing violations of human and environmental rights, corruption or tax evasion, including in their subsidiaries and supply chains; a requirement for companies to commit to free, open and informed prior consultation with local and independent stakeholders before a project that impacts upon a local community commences; a particular focus on the impact of the employment of children and child labour practices.

Other provisions could be included including the possibility to carry out investigations in the event of proven breaches of CSR commitments or the reinforcement of transnational judicial cooperation to sanction infringements committed by corporations. Parliament proposes a parliamentary monitoring mechanism to ensure the implementation of the CSR clause, as well as a transparency mechanism or forum that would encourage companies to voluntarily achieve higher standards of CSR.

Promoting CSR in multilateral trade policies: lastly, Parliament calls on the Commission to advocate the incorporation of a CSR dimension into multilateral trade policies in international for a, such as the OECD and the WTO. It calls to explore, within these same forums, the elaboration of an international convention to be drawn up to establish the responsibilities of ‘host countries’ and ‘countries of origin’, as part of the fight against the violation of human rights by multinational corporations and the implementation of the principle of extra-territoriality . It also advocates the establishment, within the WTO, of a Trade and Decent Work Committee, along the lines of the Trade and Environment Committee, which would provide a forum for the discussion, in particular, of the issues of labour standards.

Documents
2010/11/25
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2010/11/24
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2010/11/11
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
Documents
2010/11/11
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Documents
2010/10/26
   EP - Vote in committee
Details

The Committee on International Trade adopted the own-initiative report drafted by Harlem DÉSIR (S&D, FR) on corporate social responsibility in international trade agreements.

Noting that global challenges have been sharpened by the financial crisis and its social consequences, and that globalisation has been accompanies by more intense competition between countries, Members consider that new, more efficient and better-enforced rules should contribute to the development of more sustainable policies in companies which genuinely take into account social and environmental concerns. They point out, in particular, that to attract foreign investment, certain governments have tolerated serious abuses of human and labour rights and damage to the environment. Now, the principles underpinning corporate social responsibility (CSR), which are fully recognised by the OECD, the ILO or the United Nations, presuppose compliance with the legislation in force , in particular in the areas of employment, labour relations, human rights, the environment… without bearing in mind that promoting CSR is an objective supported by the European Union and that EU trade policy can only develop, in accordance with the Treaty, in compliance with international law. They note that the definition of CSR is ‘the responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour that: contributes to sustainable development, including the health and the welfare of society; takes into account the expectations of stakeholders; is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behaviour”.

CSR fully integrated in the trade agreements concluded by the EU : Members take the view that the social clauses in trade agreements should be complemented by the incorporation of the concept of CSR. They call for CSR principles and obligations to be taken into account and integrated into the future Commission communication on ‘A New Trade Policy for Europe under the EUROPE 2020 Strategy'. Considering CSR to be an effective tool for improving competitiveness, skills and training opportunities, occupational safety and the working environment, as well as promoting a sustainable environmental policy (although it clearly cannot supplant labour regulations or collective agreements), Members call for companies to be urged to apply CSR with a view to safeguarding the physical integrity of workers and to respect the human rights, in particular in SMEs.

Members also appoint out that CSR should also address new areas such as i) the organisation of work, ii) equal opportunities and social inclusion, iii) anti-discrimination measures, iv) the development of lifelong education and training, v) quality of work, vi) equality of pay and career prospects and vii) the promotion of innovative projects.

In parallel, Members recall that companies and their subsidiaries are among the main players in economic globalisation and international trade. In this context, they call on the Commission to investigate the possibility of establishing a harmonised definition of the relations between an undertaking designated the ‘parent company’ and all undertakings in a relationship of dependency with respect to that company, whether those undertakings are subsidiaries, suppliers or sub-contractors, in order to establish the legal liability of each of them. Given the key role played by corporations, their subsidiaries and their supply chains in international trade, that corporate social and environmental responsibility must become an integral part of the European Union’s trade agreements;

More generally, Members recommend the promotion of good CSR practices by all companies , irrespective of where they operate. Citing the important role of the social dialogue in developing best practice in terms of CSR, Members call for a ‘CRS culture’ to be spread through training and awareness-raising, and by the strengthened role of European Works Councils.

Members also call for:

CSR to be incorporated into the GSP and GSP+ generalised systems of preferences while ensuring that transnational companies, whether or not they have their registered office in the European Union, whose subsidiaries or supply chains are located in countries participating in the GSP, and in particular in GSP+, are required to comply with their national and international legal obligations in the areas of human rights, labour standards and environmental rules; New impact assessments on sustainable development should be undertaken in order to properly reflect the economic, social, human rights and environmental implications, including climate change mitigation goals, of trade negotiations and include appropriate follow-up by the Commission. The Parliament should also be kept fully informed on how the findings of these Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIA) of agreements are incorporated into negotiations prior to their conclusion.

CSR clauses in all the European Union's trade agreements: Members propose, in more general terms, that future trade agreements negotiated by the Union should incorporate a chapter on sustainable development which includes a ‘CSR clause’. This clause would incorporate the following:

mutual undertaking by the two parties to promote internationally-agreed CSR instruments in the context of the agreement and their trade relations; incentives to encourage undertakings to enter into CSR commitments negotiated with all the social dialogue stakeholders; a requirement – which takes into account the specific situation and capabilities of SMEs within the scope of the recommendation 2003/361/CE of May 2003 and according to the ‘think small first’ principle– for corporations to publish their CSR balance sheets at least every two or three years to encourage the visibility and credibility of CSR practices; a requirement for undertakings to show due diligence, i.e. a requirement to take measures in advance with a view to identifying and preventing violations of human and environmental rights, corruption or tax evasion, including in their subsidiaries and supply chains; a requirement for companies to commit to free, open and informed prior consultation with local and independent stakeholders before a project that impacts upon a local community commences; a particular focus on the impact of the employment of children and child labour practices.

Other provisions could be included including the possibility to carry out investigations in the event of proven breaches of CSR commitments or the reinforcement of transnational judicial cooperation to sanction infringements committed by corporations. Members propose a parliamentary monitoring mechanism to ensure the implementation of the CSR clause, as well as a transparency mechanism or forum that would encourage companies to voluntarily achieve higher standards of CSR.

Promoting CSR in multilateral trade policies: lastly, Members call on the Commission to advocate the incorporation of a CSR dimension into multilateral trade policies in international for a, such as the OECD and the WTO.

They call for an international convention to be drawn up to establish the responsibilities of ‘host countries’ and ‘countries of origin’, as part of the fight against the violation of human rights by multinational corporations and the implementation of the principle of extra-territoriality. They also advocate the establishment, within the WTO, of a Trade and Decent Work Committee, along the lines of the Trade and Environment Committee, which would provide a forum for the discussion, in particular, of the issues of labour standards.

2010/10/07
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2010/09/14
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2010/06/04
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2010/03/02
   EP - BERÈS Pervenche (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in EMPL
2009/11/26
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2009/09/29
   EP - DÉSIR Harlem (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in INTA

Documents

AmendmentsDossier
156 2009/2201(INI)
2010/03/29 EMPL 51 amendments...
source: PE-439.985
2010/10/07 INTA 105 amendments...
source: PE-450.649

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/4/docs/0/url
/oeil/spdoc.do?i=19039&j=0&l=en
docs/0/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE439.376&secondRef=02
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/EMPL-AD-439376_EN.html
docs/1/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE448.821
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/EN&reference=PE448.821
docs/2/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE450.649
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/EN&reference=PE450.649
docs/3/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2010-0317_EN.html
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2010-0317_EN.html
events/0/type
Old
Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
New
Committee referral announced in Parliament
events/1/type
Old
Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
New
Vote in committee
events/2
date
2010-11-11T00:00:00
type
Committee report tabled for plenary
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2010-0317_EN.html title: A7-0317/2010
events/2
date
2010-11-11T00:00:00
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
body
EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2010-0317_EN.html title: A7-0317/2010
events/3/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20101124&type=CRE
New
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/EN&reference=20101124&type=CRE
events/5
date
2010-11-25T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament
body
EP
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2010-0446_EN.html title: T7-0446/2010
summary
events/5
date
2010-11-25T00:00:00
type
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
docs
url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2010-0446_EN.html title: T7-0446/2010
summary
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 54
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 52
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
International Trade
committee
INTA
rapporteur
name: DÉSIR Harlem date: 2009-09-29T00:00:00 group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
shadows
name: HANDZLIK Małgorzata group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
International Trade
committee
INTA
date
2009-09-29T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: DÉSIR Harlem group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
shadows
name: HANDZLIK Małgorzata group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
committee
EMPL
rapporteur
name: BERÈS Pervenche date: 2010-03-02T00:00:00 group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
committee
EMPL
date
2010-03-02T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: BERÈS Pervenche group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
docs/3/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2010-317&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2010-0317_EN.html
docs/4/body
EC
events/2/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2010-317&language=EN
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-7-2010-0317_EN.html
events/5/docs/0/url
Old
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2010-446
New
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-7-2010-0446_EN.html
activities
  • date: 2009-11-26T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-03-02T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: BERÈS Pervenche body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: HANDZLIK Małgorzata responsible: True committee: INTA date: 2009-09-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: S&D name: DÉSIR Harlem
  • date: 2010-10-26T00:00:00 body: EP committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-03-02T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: BERÈS Pervenche body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: HANDZLIK Małgorzata responsible: True committee: INTA date: 2009-09-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: S&D name: DÉSIR Harlem type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • date: 2010-11-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2010-317&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A7-0317/2010 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • date: 2010-11-24T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20101124&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2010-11-25T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=19039&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2010-446 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0446/2010 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
commission
  • body: EC dg: Trade commissioner: DE GUCHT Karel
committees/0
type
Responsible Committee
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
International Trade
committee
INTA
date
2009-09-29T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: DÉSIR Harlem group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
shadows
name: HANDZLIK Małgorzata group: European People's Party (Christian Democrats) abbr: PPE
committees/0
body
EP
responsible
False
committee
EMPL
date
2010-03-02T00:00:00
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
rapporteur
group: S&D name: BERÈS Pervenche
committees/1
type
Committee Opinion
body
EP
associated
False
committee_full
Employment and Social Affairs
committee
EMPL
date
2010-03-02T00:00:00
rapporteur
name: BERÈS Pervenche group: Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats abbr: S&D
committees/1
body
EP
shadows
group: PPE name: HANDZLIK Małgorzata
responsible
True
committee
INTA
date
2009-09-29T00:00:00
committee_full
International Trade
rapporteur
group: S&D name: DÉSIR Harlem
docs
  • date: 2010-06-04T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE439.376&secondRef=02 title: PE439.376 committee: EMPL type: Committee opinion body: EP
  • date: 2010-09-14T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE448.821 title: PE448.821 type: Committee draft report body: EP
  • date: 2010-10-07T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE450.649 title: PE450.649 type: Amendments tabled in committee body: EP
  • date: 2010-11-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2010-317&language=EN title: A7-0317/2010 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP
  • date: 2011-05-02T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=19039&j=0&l=en title: SP(2011)1476/2 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2009-11-26T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2010-10-26T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP summary: The Committee on International Trade adopted the own-initiative report drafted by Harlem DÉSIR (S&D, FR) on corporate social responsibility in international trade agreements. Noting that global challenges have been sharpened by the financial crisis and its social consequences, and that globalisation has been accompanies by more intense competition between countries, Members consider that new, more efficient and better-enforced rules should contribute to the development of more sustainable policies in companies which genuinely take into account social and environmental concerns. They point out, in particular, that to attract foreign investment, certain governments have tolerated serious abuses of human and labour rights and damage to the environment. Now, the principles underpinning corporate social responsibility (CSR), which are fully recognised by the OECD, the ILO or the United Nations, presuppose compliance with the legislation in force , in particular in the areas of employment, labour relations, human rights, the environment… without bearing in mind that promoting CSR is an objective supported by the European Union and that EU trade policy can only develop, in accordance with the Treaty, in compliance with international law. They note that the definition of CSR is ‘the responsibility of an organisation for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour that: contributes to sustainable development, including the health and the welfare of society; takes into account the expectations of stakeholders; is in compliance with applicable law and consistent with international norms of behaviour”. CSR fully integrated in the trade agreements concluded by the EU : Members take the view that the social clauses in trade agreements should be complemented by the incorporation of the concept of CSR. They call for CSR principles and obligations to be taken into account and integrated into the future Commission communication on ‘A New Trade Policy for Europe under the EUROPE 2020 Strategy'. Considering CSR to be an effective tool for improving competitiveness, skills and training opportunities, occupational safety and the working environment, as well as promoting a sustainable environmental policy (although it clearly cannot supplant labour regulations or collective agreements), Members call for companies to be urged to apply CSR with a view to safeguarding the physical integrity of workers and to respect the human rights, in particular in SMEs. Members also appoint out that CSR should also address new areas such as i) the organisation of work, ii) equal opportunities and social inclusion, iii) anti-discrimination measures, iv) the development of lifelong education and training, v) quality of work, vi) equality of pay and career prospects and vii) the promotion of innovative projects. In parallel, Members recall that companies and their subsidiaries are among the main players in economic globalisation and international trade. In this context, they call on the Commission to investigate the possibility of establishing a harmonised definition of the relations between an undertaking designated the ‘parent company’ and all undertakings in a relationship of dependency with respect to that company, whether those undertakings are subsidiaries, suppliers or sub-contractors, in order to establish the legal liability of each of them. Given the key role played by corporations, their subsidiaries and their supply chains in international trade, that corporate social and environmental responsibility must become an integral part of the European Union’s trade agreements; More generally, Members recommend the promotion of good CSR practices by all companies , irrespective of where they operate. Citing the important role of the social dialogue in developing best practice in terms of CSR, Members call for a ‘CRS culture’ to be spread through training and awareness-raising, and by the strengthened role of European Works Councils. Members also call for: CSR to be incorporated into the GSP and GSP+ generalised systems of preferences while ensuring that transnational companies, whether or not they have their registered office in the European Union, whose subsidiaries or supply chains are located in countries participating in the GSP, and in particular in GSP+, are required to comply with their national and international legal obligations in the areas of human rights, labour standards and environmental rules; New impact assessments on sustainable development should be undertaken in order to properly reflect the economic, social, human rights and environmental implications, including climate change mitigation goals, of trade negotiations and include appropriate follow-up by the Commission. The Parliament should also be kept fully informed on how the findings of these Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIA) of agreements are incorporated into negotiations prior to their conclusion. CSR clauses in all the European Union's trade agreements: Members propose, in more general terms, that future trade agreements negotiated by the Union should incorporate a chapter on sustainable development which includes a ‘CSR clause’. This clause would incorporate the following: mutual undertaking by the two parties to promote internationally-agreed CSR instruments in the context of the agreement and their trade relations; incentives to encourage undertakings to enter into CSR commitments negotiated with all the social dialogue stakeholders; a requirement – which takes into account the specific situation and capabilities of SMEs within the scope of the recommendation 2003/361/CE of May 2003 and according to the ‘think small first’ principle– for corporations to publish their CSR balance sheets at least every two or three years to encourage the visibility and credibility of CSR practices; a requirement for undertakings to show due diligence, i.e. a requirement to take measures in advance with a view to identifying and preventing violations of human and environmental rights, corruption or tax evasion, including in their subsidiaries and supply chains; a requirement for companies to commit to free, open and informed prior consultation with local and independent stakeholders before a project that impacts upon a local community commences; a particular focus on the impact of the employment of children and child labour practices. Other provisions could be included including the possibility to carry out investigations in the event of proven breaches of CSR commitments or the reinforcement of transnational judicial cooperation to sanction infringements committed by corporations. Members propose a parliamentary monitoring mechanism to ensure the implementation of the CSR clause, as well as a transparency mechanism or forum that would encourage companies to voluntarily achieve higher standards of CSR. Promoting CSR in multilateral trade policies: lastly, Members call on the Commission to advocate the incorporation of a CSR dimension into multilateral trade policies in international for a, such as the OECD and the WTO. They call for an international convention to be drawn up to establish the responsibilities of ‘host countries’ and ‘countries of origin’, as part of the fight against the violation of human rights by multinational corporations and the implementation of the principle of extra-territoriality. They also advocate the establishment, within the WTO, of a Trade and Decent Work Committee, along the lines of the Trade and Environment Committee, which would provide a forum for the discussion, in particular, of the issues of labour standards.
  • date: 2010-11-11T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2010-317&language=EN title: A7-0317/2010
  • date: 2010-11-24T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20101124&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2010-11-25T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=19039&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2010-11-25T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2010-446 title: T7-0446/2010 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 480 votes to 48, with 6 abstentions, a resolution on corporate social responsibility in international trade agreements. Parliament notes that global challenges have been sharpened by the financial crisis and its social consequences, and have lead to worldwide discussion on the need for a new regulatory approach and governance issues in the world economy , including international trade. Parliament takes the view that the new, more efficient and better-enforced rules should contribute to the development of more sustainable policies which genuinely take into account social and environmental concerns. It notes, further, that globalisation has increased competitive pressure among countries to attract foreign investors and competition between corporations, which has sometimes led to serious abuses of human and labour rights and damage to the environment in order to attract trade and investment. The resolution recalls that the principles underpinning CSR, which are fully recognised at international level, whether by the OECD, the ILO or the United Nations, concern the responsible behaviour expected of undertakings and presuppose, first of all, compliance with the legislation in force , in particular in the areas of employment, labour relations, human rights, the environment, consumer interests and transparency vis-à-vis consumers, the fight against corruption and taxation. Parliament recalls that promoting CSR is an objective supported by the EU and that the Commission takes the view that the Union must ensure that the external policies it implements make a genuine contribution to the sustainable development and to the social development of the countries concerned and that the actions of European corporations, wherever they invest and operate, are in accordance with European values and internationally agreed norms. CSR fully integrated in the trade agreements concluded by the EU : Parliament takes the view that the social clauses in trade agreements should be complemented by the incorporation of the concept of CSR. It calls for CSR principles and obligations to be taken into account and integrated into the future Commission communication on ‘A New Trade Policy for Europe under the EUROPE 2020 Strategy'. Considering CSR to be an effective tool for improving competitiveness, skills and training opportunities, occupational safety and the working environment, as well as promoting a sustainable environmental policy (although it clearly cannot supplant labour regulations or collective agreements), Members call for companies to be urged to apply CSR with a view to safeguarding the physical integrity of workers and to respect the human rights, in particular in SMEs. Parliament also points out that CSR should also address new areas such as: i) the organisation of work; ii) equal opportunities and social inclusion; iii) anti-discrimination measures; iv) the development of lifelong education and training; v) quality of work; vi) equality of pay and career prospects and vii) the promotion of innovative projects. In parallel, Parliament recalls that companies and their subsidiaries are among the main players in economic globalisation and international trade. In this context, it calls on the Commission to investigate the possibility of establishing a harmonised definition of the relations between an undertaking designated the ‘parent company’ and all undertakings in a relationship of dependency with respect to that company, whether those undertakings are subsidiaries, suppliers or sub-contractors, in order to establish the legal liability of each of them. Given the key role played by corporations, their subsidiaries and their supply chains in international trade, that corporate social and environmental responsibility must become an integral part of the European Union’s trade agreements; More generally, Parliament recommends the promotion of good CSR practices by all companies , irrespective of where they operate. Citing the important role of the social dialogue in developing best practice in terms of CSR, it calls for a ‘CRS culture’ to be spread through training and awareness-raising, and by the strengthened role of European Works Councils. Members also call for: CSR to be incorporated into the GSP and GSP+ generalised systems of preferences while ensuring that transnational companies, whether or not they have their registered office in the European Union, whose subsidiaries or supply chains are located in countries participating in the GSP, and in particular in GSP+, are required to comply with their national and international legal obligations in the areas of human rights, labour standards and environmental rules; New impact assessments on sustainable development should be undertaken in order to properly reflect the economic, social, human rights and environmental implications, including climate change mitigation goals, of trade negotiations and include appropriate follow-up by the Commission. The Parliament should also be kept fully informed on how the findings of these Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIA) of agreements are incorporated into negotiations prior to their conclusion. Parliament also calls for: CSR to be incorporated into the GSP and GSP+ generalised systems of preferences while ensuring that transnational companies, whether or not they have their registered office in the European Union, whose subsidiaries or supply chains are located in countries participating in the GSP, and in particular in GSP+, are required to comply with their national and international legal obligations in the areas of human rights, labour standards and environmental rules. Parliament urges that the European Union and the states participating in and benefiting from the GSP should be required to ensure that corporations fulfil these obligations. It calls for such compliance to be made a binding requirement in the context of the GSP; New impact assessments on sustainable development should be undertaken in order to properly reflect the economic, social, human rights and environmental implications, including climate change mitigation goals, of trade negotiations and include appropriate follow-up by the Commission. The Parliament should also be kept fully informed on how the findings of these Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIA) of agreements are incorporated into negotiations prior to their conclusion. CSR clauses in all the European Union's trade agreements : Parliament proposes, in more general terms, that future trade agreements negotiated by the Union should incorporate a chapter on sustainable development which includes a ‘CSR clause’. This clause would incorporate the following: mutual undertaking by the two parties to promote internationally-agreed CSR instruments in the context of the agreement and their trade relations; incentives to encourage undertakings to enter into CSR commitments negotiated with all the social dialogue stakeholders; a requirement – which takes into account the specific situation and capabilities of SMEs within the scope of the recommendation 2003/361/CE of May 2003 and according to the ‘think small first’ principle– for corporations to publish their CSR balance sheets at least every two or three years to encourage the visibility and credibility of CSR practices; a requirement for undertakings to show due diligence, i.e. a requirement to take measures in advance with a view to identifying and preventing violations of human and environmental rights, corruption or tax evasion, including in their subsidiaries and supply chains; a requirement for companies to commit to free, open and informed prior consultation with local and independent stakeholders before a project that impacts upon a local community commences; a particular focus on the impact of the employment of children and child labour practices. Other provisions could be included including the possibility to carry out investigations in the event of proven breaches of CSR commitments or the reinforcement of transnational judicial cooperation to sanction infringements committed by corporations. Parliament proposes a parliamentary monitoring mechanism to ensure the implementation of the CSR clause, as well as a transparency mechanism or forum that would encourage companies to voluntarily achieve higher standards of CSR. Promoting CSR in multilateral trade policies: lastly, Parliament calls on the Commission to advocate the incorporation of a CSR dimension into multilateral trade policies in international for a, such as the OECD and the WTO. It calls to explore, within these same forums, the elaboration of an international convention to be drawn up to establish the responsibilities of ‘host countries’ and ‘countries of origin’, as part of the fight against the violation of human rights by multinational corporations and the implementation of the principle of extra-territoriality . It also advocates the establishment, within the WTO, of a Trade and Decent Work Committee, along the lines of the Trade and Environment Committee, which would provide a forum for the discussion, in particular, of the issues of labour standards.
  • date: 2010-11-25T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/ title: Trade commissioner: DE GUCHT Karel
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
Old
INTA/7/01252
New
  • INTA/7/01252
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 52
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052
procedure/subject
Old
  • 3.45 Enterprise policy, inter-company cooperation
  • 4.10 Social policy, social charter and protocol
  • 5.03 World economy and globalisation
  • 6.20 Common commercial policy in general
  • 6.20.01 Agreements and relations in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
  • 6.20.03 Bilateral economic and trade agreements and relations
  • 6.20.05 Multilateral economic and trade agreements and relations
  • 6.40.13 Relations with/in the context of international organisations: UN, OSCE, OECD, Council of Europe, EBRD
New
3.45
Enterprise policy, inter-company cooperation
4.10
Social policy, social charter and protocol
6.20.03
Bilateral economic and trade agreements and relations
6.20.05
Multilateral and plurilateral economic and trade agreements and relations
activities
  • date: 2009-11-26T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-03-02T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: BERÈS Pervenche body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: HANDZLIK Małgorzata responsible: True committee: INTA date: 2009-09-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: S&D name: DÉSIR Harlem
  • date: 2010-10-26T00:00:00 body: EP committees: body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-03-02T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: BERÈS Pervenche body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: HANDZLIK Małgorzata responsible: True committee: INTA date: 2009-09-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: S&D name: DÉSIR Harlem type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • date: 2010-11-11T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2010-317&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A7-0317/2010 body: EP type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
  • date: 2010-11-24T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20101124&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament body: EP type: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2010-11-25T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=19039&l=en type: Results of vote in Parliament title: Results of vote in Parliament url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2010-446 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading title: T7-0446/2010 body: EP type: Results of vote in Parliament
committees
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: EMPL date: 2010-03-02T00:00:00 committee_full: Employment and Social Affairs rapporteur: group: S&D name: BERÈS Pervenche
  • body: EP shadows: group: PPE name: HANDZLIK Małgorzata responsible: True committee: INTA date: 2009-09-29T00:00:00 committee_full: International Trade rapporteur: group: S&D name: DÉSIR Harlem
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/ title: Trade commissioner: DE GUCHT Karel
procedure
dossier_of_the_committee
INTA/7/01252
reference
2009/2201(INI)
title
Corporate and social responsibility in international trade agreements
legal_basis
Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052
stage_reached
Procedure completed
subtype
Initiative
type
INI - Own-initiative procedure
subject