Yolaine Delaygues European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ

Yolaine Delaygues
European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ)
The most important current CSR policy developments at the EU level: How the civil society
organizations engage and what do they lobby for?
Corporate accountability framework
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ECCJ’s aim to make corporations legally responsible for the harm they would do worldwide and
focuses on 3 interlinked priorities: better transparency, better liability for parent companies and
better access to justice for victims
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Not a cross-cutting perspective on corporate accountability, mostly fragmented laws and policies
which shape business responsibilities
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The European CSR strategy: a channel to push for more corporate transparency
A real progress
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Shift in the European position over the past years which can be explained by:
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The financial crisis, showing the need to regulate corporate activity
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International developments such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights, recognising the need to make European companies responsible for their human
right and environmental impact around the world.
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The successful advocacy of Civil Society Organisations showing the need to address the
corporate accountability: ECCJ actively raised awareness through meetings, conferences,
roundtables, participation to the European forum on CSR…
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5 years ago, only voluntary initiatives were considered, and CSR was defined as “a concept
whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations on
a voluntary basis”
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In 2011: the new CSR Communication defines CSR as “the responsibility of enterprises for their
impacts on society” and does not exclude anymore to regulate when necessary in this area. Of
particular interest, it plans to:
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Develop plan of implementation of the UN Guiding principles at European and Member
State level
Seminarium jest współfinansowane w ramach programu polskiej współpracy rozwojowej Ministerstwa
Spraw Zagranicznych RP w 2013 r. oraz przez Komisję Europejską w ramach programu EuropeAid
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Improve corporate transparency through a legislative reform on environmental and
social corporate reporting
Easier to say than to do: a difficult implementation
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Member States and the European Union lag behind when it comes to implement those actions,
considered as ‘administrative burden’ in a context of economic recovery
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Consequently it delayed the above-mentioned initiatives on the UNGPs and transparency reform
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ECCJ kept the pressure on the European Union to advance on the initiatives it has committed to,
through meetings, and the participation of presidency events and focused on strengthening its
membership and alliance with friendly organisations
2013: a momentum?
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At a more political level, tragedies such as the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh are putting back on the
agenda corporate accountability
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The European Parliament (EP) adopted 2 reports on CSR which call for corporate accountability:
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strong focus on supply chain,
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call for implementation of the UNGPs,
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facilitate access to European courts for victims of multinationals
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need to deal with the issue of separate legal personality of companies
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reference to due diligence process, trade agreements, fight short-termism, public
procurement, greenwashing, policy coherence
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Several initiatives from the EP are calling for more corporate accountability
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Plans to implement the UNGPs
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Members States are currently developing plans to implement the UNGPs in parallel or
together with plans on CSR
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The Commission has put on hold its process to develop a plan
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ECCJ and members organisations are collaborating through a working group to exchange
and develop strategies to put pressure on policy makers
The reform on corporate reporting and ECCJ’s main priority: a legislative reform to mandate
companies to disclose information on the environment, human rights and social issues.
Identifying issues is a first step towards addressing them, and therefore a first step towards
accountability.
Seminarium jest współfinansowane w ramach programu polskiej współpracy rozwojowej Ministerstwa
Spraw Zagranicznych RP w 2013 r. oraz przez Komisję Europejską w ramach programu EuropeAid
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A working group is coordinating Civil society organisations strategies
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Member States are currently drafting their position
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In the EP, the big times will be in October to December
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This legislation is to be adopted before April 2014
Other reforms of interest that we are not directly focusing on: public procurement, Conflict
minerals, transparency directives/tax transparency, post-2015 development framework.
To conclude, how can NGOs engage?
1. The reform on ‘non-financial reporting’ – corporate reporting on environmental and social
issues – supporting the campaign effort in
2. Implementation of the UNGPs – influencing the debate at national level and European level
3. Access to Justice Project: a research project on identifying obstacles to access justice in
Europe will come up with recommendation in the autumn – ECCJ plans to launch a campaign
in 2014
4. The coming European elections, May 2014: opportunity to ask MEPs to engage for more
corporate accountability
Seminarium jest współfinansowane w ramach programu polskiej współpracy rozwojowej Ministerstwa
Spraw Zagranicznych RP w 2013 r. oraz przez Komisję Europejską w ramach programu EuropeAid