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About 40 companies have already expressed interest in participating in
the new European Alliance for CSR, a loose network of businesses being
assembled by the European Commission, but it has emerged that those
taking part will have to pay for the privilege.
Although the names of the companies have not been divulged, they are understood to include some that have already worked with the Commission in its multi-stakeholder forum on CSR. The creation of a European Alliance was the single most substantive measure announced in the Commission’s second white paper on CSR published this spring (EP7, issue 11, p1).
Three Brussels-based business organizations – CSR Europe, a business network of more than 60 multinational corporations; UEAPME, which represents small businesses in Europe; and the European employers’ federation Unice – have been chosen by the Commission to help get the alliance off the ground and provide a secretariat.
However, as there will be little cash support from the Commission, each of the three is likely to charge companies for providing such services. ‘We are not a charity and we won’t get financial support from the Commission, so we will have to look at how to make this sustainable,’ said a source from one of the organizations. ‘At some point we will have to get into a discussion with companies about costs.’
The source dismissed rumours that companies will have to join any of the three organizations before being eligible to participate in the alliance.
MEPs will soon consider their formal response to the second CSR white paper once they have appointed a ‘rapporteur’ from among their members to lead the discussions in Brussels.
Debate is expected to take place over a six-month period and a final report will then be presented to the Commission, which has a duty to respond to MEPs’ points, though not necessarily to act on them.
Despite the recent progress made on forming the European Alliance, observers anticipate that the Commission’s profile on corporate social responsibility will begin to fade during the coming year.
Although the names of the companies have not been divulged, they are understood to include some that have already worked with the Commission in its multi-stakeholder forum on CSR. The creation of a European Alliance was the single most substantive measure announced in the Commission’s second white paper on CSR published this spring (EP7, issue 11, p1).
Three Brussels-based business organizations – CSR Europe, a business network of more than 60 multinational corporations; UEAPME, which represents small businesses in Europe; and the European employers’ federation Unice – have been chosen by the Commission to help get the alliance off the ground and provide a secretariat.
However, as there will be little cash support from the Commission, each of the three is likely to charge companies for providing such services. ‘We are not a charity and we won’t get financial support from the Commission, so we will have to look at how to make this sustainable,’ said a source from one of the organizations. ‘At some point we will have to get into a discussion with companies about costs.’
The source dismissed rumours that companies will have to join any of the three organizations before being eligible to participate in the alliance.
MEPs will soon consider their formal response to the second CSR white paper once they have appointed a ‘rapporteur’ from among their members to lead the discussions in Brussels.
Debate is expected to take place over a six-month period and a final report will then be presented to the Commission, which has a duty to respond to MEPs’ points, though not necessarily to act on them.
Despite the recent progress made on forming the European Alliance, observers anticipate that the Commission’s profile on corporate social responsibility will begin to fade during the coming year.
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