Peer Reviews and new Compendium on CSR Presentation to HLG meeting 20 December 2013, Brussels

This Presentation 1.The Peer Reviews: progress to date 2.Current status of NAPs 3.Factors influencing Member State priorities on CSR 4.Horizontal ‘content’ priorities 5.Vertical ‘content’ priorities 6.Some common ‘process’ themes 5.Draft structure of Compendium 6.Questions

The Peer Reviews: Progress to date Peer review groupsParticipating countries Group 1: 5 June (IT)BG, DE, IT, MT Group 2: 18 June (UK)BE, EE, PL, UK Group 3: 25 September (SE)CY, ES, RO, SE Group 4: 22 October (FR)FR, IE, LU, SI Group 5: 5 November (FI)CZ, EL, FI, PT Group 6: 28 November (NL)HR, HU, LV, NL Group 7: 9 December (DK)AU, DK, LT, SK

Member State priorities on CSR: Current status of NAPs Countries with CSR NAPs under development: EL, HR, LV, RO, SI, SK Countries with current CSR NAPs: BE, BG, CY, DE, DK, EE, FI, FR, IT, LT, NL, PL, SE, UK Countries with CSR NAPs close to finalisation: AT, CZ, ES IE, HU MT Absence of NAP does not mean absence of CSR policies

Member State priorities on CSR: NAPs on Business and Human Rights No information for other countries; reference in current NAPs from CY, FI, FR, LT, NL, SE Countries with plans for separate NAPs on B&HR: BE, DE, ES, FI, SE, (PT) Countries who will include B&HR into CSR NAP: CZ, MT

Factors influencing Member State priorities on CSR National priority setting is influenced by a number of factors:  Definition of CSR  Existing policy and regulatory framework  Level of awareness of CSR  Structure of policy making (central v. regional and local responsibilities)  Level of institutionalisation of stakeholder engagement  Economic/sectoral structure (e.g. predominance of SMEs or micro-companies; prevalence of stated owned companies; exposure to international trade etc.)  Economic development/impact of the crisis

Horizontal ‘content’ priorities in most Member States (1)  Awareness raising aimed at consumers and businesses – through websites, campaigns and awards  Support for SMEs to develop CSR approaches – through guidance, project funding, advisory services  Alignment with international standards - e.g. through national interpretation and guidance on Global Standards  Sustainable public procurement – through policies, guidance and good practice learning

Horizontal ‘content’ priorities in most Member States (2)  Initiatives on reporting and disclosure – legislative or voluntary  Responsible supply chain management (in light of recent events, but mainly in countries with significant exposure to globalisation) – usually in line with international standards  CSR in education and training – development of curricula, particularly for managers  CSR actions to help tackle climate change  CSR in the field of social policy – e.g. actions to support the integration of disadvantaged groups such as young people

National priority setting: some examples Italy: Focus on national and regional level Increasing culture of CSR among citizens, businesses and wider community; supporting enterprises in adopting CSR principles and enhancing market reward for CSR; transparency and reporting; promoting CSR through international instruments Germany: Awareness raising and capacity building particularly in SMEs; CSR award and other dissemination activities; CSR in education, training and science; CSR in international/development policy context; CSR in meeting broader societal challenges; CSR friendly environment Bulgaria: Awareness raising; capacity building; institutional co- ordination; reporting; environmental initiatives

Vertical ‘content’ priorities of a more limited number of Member States  Sectoral approaches to CSR (e.g. mining) and sectoral risk analysis  Socially responsible investment  Financial obligation and anti-corruption measures

Common ‘process’ themes: Engaging with NGOs and other stakeholders  Capacity building and involvement of NGOs  Important role of NGOs in verification and monitoring  How to respect and ensure independence of NGOs while engaging them in these processes?  How to balance contact with institutionalised stakeholders with contact with grassroots  Organisation of ongoing engagement

Common ‘process’ themes: Balance between government driven and business owned CSR approaches  Many countries emphasise importance of CSR being business owned  Role of government in fostering CSR development (though policy, guidance or regulation)  Making the business case for CSR to be at the heart of competitiveness policy (rather than ‘charity’ or ‘add on’) – in some countries CSR portfolio moved from Employment to Competitiveness/Business Departments  Harnessing ‘business to business support’

Common ‘process’ themes: Broader awareness raising  Raising awareness of the importance and added value of CSR (particularly in countries where CSR priorities are emerging more recently)  ‘Making the business case’  ‘Raising demand’ for CSR among customers

Draft structure of Compendium  Introduction  Developments in CSR policy in the EU  National CSR priorities  Alignment with Global CSR Approaches  Human Rights and Responsible Supply Chain Management  Sustainable Public Procurement  Socially Responsible Investment  Financial Obligation and Anti-corruption  CSR Reporting and Disclosure  CSR in SMEs  CSR approaches to Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability  Social Policies  CSR in Education and Training  Consumer Awareness and Responsible Business Promotion  Annex with country by country overview of key initiatives under these headings

Questions?