Distribution Network
Content
Political disagreements have led to further postponement of the European Commission’s long-awaited second CSR communication.
The communication, also known as a white paper, will not now appear at least until ‘after the summer holidays’, says the commission’s employment and social affairs directorate, which first announced it would be published in late 2004. Since then, revised publication dates have come and gone as internal disagreements have stalled progress on the communication, which will set out Commission policy and actions.
A well-placed EC source told EP the postponements resulted largely from ‘high-level politics’ rather than bureaucratic delays. Officially the EC said extra time was required ‘to examine this very important issue more closely’.
A key sticking point is finding a CSR position that is acceptable to both civil society and business. The Commission, in common with business, prefers the voluntary approach, but many non-governmental organizations would not welcome a second white paper that sees no significant role for regulation.
The EC had hoped the task of drawing up the communication would have been made easier by the conclusions of its multi-stakeholder forum on CSR, a working group of businesses, trade unions and NGOs set up to deliver a cross-sector consensus on the way forward.
However, although the forum’s final report last year favoured the voluntary approach, several key NGO members almost immediately broke ranks. They were concerned at the report’s tone and said the second white paper should embrace regulation, particularly on issues such as reporting and human rights abuses in developing countries.
The white paper’s continued non-appearance has triggered worries that the Commission may be losing the initiative on CSR. Anna Diamantopoulou, the former social affairs and employment commissioner, who was at the helm when the first CSR white paper was published in July 2002, told EP she was disappointed by the lack of progress. ‘It’s a pity because there’s such an urgent discussion to be had on this issue,’ she said.
Ineke Zeldenrust, founder of the Netherlands-based Clean Clothes Campaign, warned: ‘We are in a public policy vacuum at present, and we urgently need some more views from the commission in this area.’
Peter Frankental, economic relations programme director at Amnesty International UK, said: ‘I hope the delays are a reflection of the level of consideration that is being given to developing policy instruments ... rather than an indication that the Commission is fighting shy of tackling this.’
However, Richard Howitt, a UK MEP and former EU rapporteur on CSR, emphasized that the Commission’s priority was to get its policies right, not rush them out. ‘The series of delays probably reflects an internal debate going on in the Commission, but this is an important discussion that has taken place over several years, and the main thing is what the communication says rather than when it comes out,’ he said.
The communication, also known as a white paper, will not now appear at least until ‘after the summer holidays’, says the commission’s employment and social affairs directorate, which first announced it would be published in late 2004. Since then, revised publication dates have come and gone as internal disagreements have stalled progress on the communication, which will set out Commission policy and actions.
A well-placed EC source told EP the postponements resulted largely from ‘high-level politics’ rather than bureaucratic delays. Officially the EC said extra time was required ‘to examine this very important issue more closely’.
A key sticking point is finding a CSR position that is acceptable to both civil society and business. The Commission, in common with business, prefers the voluntary approach, but many non-governmental organizations would not welcome a second white paper that sees no significant role for regulation.
The EC had hoped the task of drawing up the communication would have been made easier by the conclusions of its multi-stakeholder forum on CSR, a working group of businesses, trade unions and NGOs set up to deliver a cross-sector consensus on the way forward.
However, although the forum’s final report last year favoured the voluntary approach, several key NGO members almost immediately broke ranks. They were concerned at the report’s tone and said the second white paper should embrace regulation, particularly on issues such as reporting and human rights abuses in developing countries.
The white paper’s continued non-appearance has triggered worries that the Commission may be losing the initiative on CSR. Anna Diamantopoulou, the former social affairs and employment commissioner, who was at the helm when the first CSR white paper was published in July 2002, told EP she was disappointed by the lack of progress. ‘It’s a pity because there’s such an urgent discussion to be had on this issue,’ she said.
Ineke Zeldenrust, founder of the Netherlands-based Clean Clothes Campaign, warned: ‘We are in a public policy vacuum at present, and we urgently need some more views from the commission in this area.’
Peter Frankental, economic relations programme director at Amnesty International UK, said: ‘I hope the delays are a reflection of the level of consideration that is being given to developing policy instruments ... rather than an indication that the Commission is fighting shy of tackling this.’
However, Richard Howitt, a UK MEP and former EU rapporteur on CSR, emphasized that the Commission’s priority was to get its policies right, not rush them out. ‘The series of delays probably reflects an internal debate going on in the Commission, but this is an important discussion that has taken place over several years, and the main thing is what the communication says rather than when it comes out,’ he said.
Super Featured
No
Featured
No