Fearing that they had lost ground following the adoption of the report on the morning of the final plenary meeting, a group of NGOs circulated an open letter to key EU decision-makers stating that a "voluntary agreement between the stakeholders on corporate responsibility without a common system for corporate accountability is not enough to create the necessary EU framework for CSR" (see also
).The Commission's definition of CSR, upon which the Stakeholder Forum's discussions were built, refers to CSR as a 'voluntary' integration of social and environmental considerations into business operations.
The NGO community has found that the report "does not go far enough" and they wish to indicate this view in the report. While the NGO side does not "dismiss the forum" its final report demonstrates the "limited results of a limited process", as one NGO reperesentative has put it.
The NGOs wanted that the statements made at the final plenary, which was the first chance to comment on the full report, be added to the final summary.
After days of wrangling, a foreword has been included in the report emphasising three main points. Firstly, that the report is a "fair record of points of consensus". Secondly, that "there are some differences and debates that remain". Thirdly, that the speeches and statements made at the final plenary meeting of the Forum can be accessed at the CSR websites of both DG Employment and DG Enterprise.
The final report, including the foreword, is now out, but an asterisked footnote states that not all NGOs have been able to endorse the text. NGO representatives have told EurActiv that they needed more time to consult their constituencies and that a meeting has been scheduled for 14 July to agree a common approach within the NGO community.
