Campaigning at the EU level for Corporate Social Responsibility

March 2007, Favourable CSR Resolution passed in European Parliament

Nov 2006, ECCI- Paper on Corporate Social Responsibility at EU Level Proposals and recommendations to the European Commission and the European Parliament

July 2002, White paper EC disappointing

May 2002, European parliament votes to regulate multinational companies

38kb) European Parliament resolution on the Commission Green Paper on Promoting a European framework for Corporate Social Responsibility

May 2002, Speech by Richard Howitt MEP introducing the debate on Corporate Social Responsibility

May 2002, Commissioner Anna Diamontopolou's reply to Richard Howitt MEP, debate on Corporate Social Responsibility

Dec 2001 - Reaction from the Clean Clothes Campaign to the European Commission Green Paper

10 April 2001, Update on progress towards EU standards for European enterprises operating in developing countries (Richard Howitt MEP)

29-Nov 2000, CCC report on EU-parliament meeting

23 Nov 2000, Adidas attacked for Asian 'sweatshops' (Guardian)

23 Nov 2000, Adidas boycotts EU ethics hearing By Stephen Castle in Brussels (The Independent)

22 Nov 2000, Statement of Rainy Hutabarat, "Urban Community Mission" , Jakarta, at the European Parliament Hearing

19 Nov 2000, Statement from Garteks-SBSI on Adidas

The howwitt resolution

15 Nov 2000, Update on progress towards a European Code of Conduct for European enterprises operating in developing countries (Richard Howitt MEP)

15-Nov-2000, CCC PRESS RELEASE Indonesian testimony on labour conditions in adidas factories at European Parliament Hearing

15-Nov-2000 Statement of the European Clean Clothes Campaigns regarding this Resolution

7-Jan-1999 EU press-release

At the level of the European Union interest in "Corporate Social Responsibility" has magnified over the past few years. The European Parliament passed a first resolution to promote the accountability of European-based multinationals by supporting initiatives in the field of codes of conduct. In the resolution, proposed by MEP Richard Howitt, the Parliament states its support for voluntary codes of conduct, but explicitly states that these cannot and should not be a substitute for or a way to avoid international regulation. Furthermore, the EP calls upon the European Commission and the European Council to come to terms with the subject of a "European Monitoring Platform" and proposes to organise hearings on the subject. The Council and the Commission are also called upon to set up conditions for legal measures to monitor multinationals.

Since European Parliament resolutions are not binding for national member states, it will require an enormous amount of lobbying to get Europe to implement this resolution.

A first hearing was organized in november 2000, where a.o. adidas was called to testify.

Meanwhile, the European Commission, under the Belgian presidency, put "CSR" high on the agenda. A green paper was published and many NGOs, trade unions and of course corporations reacted. CCC also send in their comments.

The Directory Generate for Employment and Social Affairs published all reactions on their website and also started a so-called "CSR Stakeholder Forum"

Parlementarian Richard Howitt was appointed as the rapporteur on the Green paper and put forward a second resolution in june 2002 which calls a.o. for new legislation to require companies to publicly report annually on their social and environmental performance.