Companies pledge to contribute to Lisbon goals through CSR

President of CSR Europe Etienne Davignon referred to the past ten years of CSR as a success. "We can speak about success without arrogance - we have raised expectations," he explained. The challenge is not to publish documents and issue statements but to provide solid evidence as "facts are the best certainty you can have". In Davignon's view, the exhibition on 3 March that demonstrated companies' commitment to CSR provides such evidence. Corporate strategy and corporate social strategy are the same thing, he argued. Asked about the upcoming CSR Communication, the former Commissioner explained that he would be "surprised if it contained something we [CSR Europe] would not like to see. The Commission will tell us [CSR Europe] to deliver."

High-level company representatives then provided examples of their own responsible business practices. For instance, diversity policies are very much highlighted at Accor with half of their employees being women. Citigroup supports 'active volunteering' providing one paid day per year to their employees for volunteering in their community. Sony's CSR priorities focus on human rights, business conduct, disclosure of information, intellectual property and environmental issues. Microsoft  supports research, SMEs in its supply chain, education and lifelong learning, as well as investment in the community.

Philippe de Buck, the Secretary General of UNICE said that the Stakeholder Forum "was not an easy exercise" but "it was perhaps the largest discussion ever organised on CSR". De Buck called on the Commission to support CSR as a business-driven initiative, one that must be done on a voluntary basis. If no longer voluntary, CSR would lose the driving force behind it, he argued. "CSR has to come from inside, it cannot be imposed from the outside," he said.

Frank Welvaert, Chair of the Board of Directors of CSR Europe, spoke out against the conclusion famously reached by the Economist in January about the superfluous and even undesirable nature of CSR. "Capitalism does not need the fundamental reform that many CSR advocates wish for," argued the Economist in its CSR special (22-28 January 2005, p.4).