Council Resolution on the follow-up to the Green Paper on corporate social responsibility
Date: 2002-04-10
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU publication, social role, type of business

10.4.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 86/3

(6) that

technological progress

to
implement the Guidelines and to validate the compliance
of websites with the Guidelines.

is making

easier

it

Therefore:

1. STRESSES the need to increase efforts to speed up accessi-

bility to the Web and the content it offers;

2. ENCOURAGES the Member States to implement specific and
adequately-resourced measures to achieve the underlying
objective of the eEurope 2002 Action Plan for accessibility
of public websites at all levels of government;

and comparable data so as to facilitate the evaluation of
progress;

4. ENCOURAGES the Member States and the Commission to
take account of the need for digital content to be accessible,
for example by, when funding development of websites,
requiring those websites to implement the Guidelines;

5. CALLS on the Member States and the Commission to
participate in the European Year of People with Disabilities
in 2003 and to improve Web accessibility, awareness and
training, and on the Commission to submit in the first half
of 2004 a report giving an overview of progress made;

3.

INVITES the High Level Group on the Employment and
to
Social Dimension of
monitor progress in the adoption and implementation of
the Guidelines and to develop common methodologies

the Information Society (ESDIS)

6. URGES the Member States and the Commission to further
develop a permanent dialogue with representative organi-
sations of people with disabilities and organisations repre-
senting older persons, so that
reactions to these
matters may be taken into account.

their

COUNCIL RESOLUTION

on the follow-up to the Green Paper on corporate social responsibility

(2002/C 86/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

RECALLING:

4. The Commission Green Paper on promotin a European
responsibility
corporate
a consultation on

framework
(COM(2001) 366), which launches
corporate social responsibility.

social

for

1. The appeal made by the European Council in Lisbon to
companies'
responsibility
sense
regarding best practices on lifelong learning, work organi-
sation, equal opportunities, social inclusion and sustainable
development.

corporate

social

of

2. The request made by the European Council in Nice, as part
of the implementation of the European social agenda, to
support initiatives relating to corporate social responsibility
and the management of change by means of a Commission
communication and, for the purpose of fighting poverty
and all forms of exclusion and discrimination in order to
promote social integration, to establish the conditions for
partners,
partnership with
an
non-governmental organisations,
and
bodies that manage social services, and to involve under-
takings in that partnership in order to strengthen their
social responsibility.

social
authorities

the
local

efficient

5. The Commission communications on quality, core labour

standards and governance (1),

CONVINCED that, corporate social responsibility can contribute
to objectives such as those defined in the Green Paper, and in
particular those:

6. of the Lisbon summit:

‘to become the most competitive
and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world,
capable of sustainable economic growth with more and
better jobs and greater social cohesion’;

7. of the European employment and social inclusion strategy,
and the elements aimed at anticipating and benefiting from
change in accordance with the social agenda approved at
Nice;

3. The favourable reception given by the European Council in
Stockholm to initiatives taken by businesses to encourage
corporate social responsibility.

(1) ‘Employment and social policies: a framework for investing in
quality’
(COM(2001) 313) and ‘Promoting core labour standards
and improving social governance in the context of globalisation’
(COM(2001) 416).

C 86/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

10.4.2002

8. of the strategy of sustainable development adopted by the

European Council in Göteborg,

SUPPORTING, without prejudice to the comments of all stake-
holders, the definitional elements shown in the Green Paper as
being:

9. (a) a constructive contribution to implementing the Lisbon
strategy of
a debate on enhanced
corporate social responsibility at national, European
and international level;

encouraging

(b) wide involvement of all stakeholders in a detailed
debate on the Green Paper, on the basis of
contributions by economic operators and society in
general, and particularly the social partners;

(c) business-led voluntary integration, as a corporate
initiative, of the social and environmental concerns
of businesses into their commercial operations and
their relation with stakeholders,

MINDFUL OF THE FACT THAT:

10. Corporate

social

responsibility can be

a means of
responding to the challenges of organisational changes
within undertakings and new production arrangements.
Implementation of corporate social responsibility within
businesses can be facilitated by the participation of
workers and their
in a dialogue that
representatives
promotes exchanges and constant adaptation. In addition
to this internal aspect, the external aspect of corporate
social responsibility could be associated, in certain circum-
stances, with the achievement of objectives defined with
stakeholders.

11. Social

can

contribute

responsibility

to
encouraging a high level of social cohesion, environmental
protection and respect for fundamental rights, but also to
improving competitiveness in all types of businesses, from
SMEs to multinationals, and in all sectors of activity.

only

not

12. Corporate

responsibility can complement

and
social
promote the application of
rules and laws on social
rights and environmental standards. Codes of conduct, in
particular, can promote international labour standards and
encourage a responsible attitude in those who subscribe to
them, drawing on the core ILO conventions, the ILO's
Tripartite Declaration of principles concerning multi-
national enterprises and social policy and the OECD
guidelines for multinational enterprises.

13. Social responsibility is principally a matter for businesses,
in particular employees, consumers
in encouraging

but all stakeholders,
and investors, can play a decisive part
business to adopt socially responsible practices.

14. While being compatible and consistent with Community
and international norms, corporate social responsibility

must be understood as complementing regulations or
legislation or norms on social or environmental rights,
for which it cannot be a substitute,

EMPHASISES that a European approach to corporate social
responsibility could:

15. complement existing measures at local and national level,
imparting to them an added value, in order to contribute
to the development of corporate social responsibility;

16. support existing international agreements and initiatives,
such as the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises
the ILO's
and the core labour standards of
Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multi-
national Enterprises and Social Policy or the UN Global
Compact. The new approach should complement and add
value to these agreements and initiatives at international
organisation and private sector level,

the ILO,

CONSIDERS it useful to promote:

17. Initiatives aimed at exchange of good practice and inno-
vative ideas relating to the practice and promotion of
corporate social responsibility.

18. Increased awareness and analysis of the impact of socially
responsible practices on corporate economic performance,
so as to encourage their spread to all businesses, especially
SMEs.

19. Initiatives aimed at building corporate social responsibility
into the training of executives and workers, so that they
will be better able to integrate such new issues and criteria
into strategic business planning and everyday business
operations,

AGREES AS FOLLOWS:

20. WELCOMES the Commission's Green Paper on promoting a
European framework for corporate social responsibility
and welcomes the initiative on consultation.

21. ASKS the Commission:

— as

far as possible to incorporate the conclusions
reached in the discussions held in the Member States
and at the conferences organised on this subject in its
next communication, and

— query carefully the added value of any new action

proposed at European level,

22. AND EMPHASISES the importance of the social partners'
contribution to the consultation process at national and
European level.