[Documents/Docheader.htm]The ethical conduct of European Companies
Doc. 10336
18 October 2004Motion for a resolution
presented by Mr Jonas and othersThis motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it
1. International organisations, the European Union and companies operating in the wider Council of Europe area are increasingly engaged in strengthening ethical conduct, raising social standards and the like as part of their commercial or manufacturing activities in developing countries. Examples are provided by the International Labour Organisation, individual trade unions at national level and the International Association of Free Trade Unions, but also work by governments and major international organisations such as the OECD. Also of importance is the involvement of individual business associations and numerous major transnational companies. All these efforts take place against the background of the ratification by more and more countries of international treaties banning, for instance, child labour, exploitative working conditions and wage dumping.
2. Various private and governmental initiatives have been taken in Europe, such as the German “Runden Tisch Verhaltenskodizes” (“Round Table Code of Conduct”), as well as the development of private projects to introduce social standards within the “Public-Private Partnership” programme launched by the Federal Ministry for economic Co-operation of Germany. The aim is to encourage companies to reach social and environmental progress and thereby favour development in poorer countries.
3. What is now needed is an evaluation of the standards and guidelines of European companies which are active in developing countries through trade or production, as regards the ethical aspects of their policies. This includes a scrutiny of company policy statements and guidelines aimed at avoiding violations of international norms concerning working conditions and in particular exploitative practices such as child labour, the exploitation of women, inhuman working conditions, etc. In this way, knowledge can be gained as to what standards and rules are currently practiced by European companies and how they are implemented in practice. The Council of Europe, with its pan-European membership, should take a leading political role in furthering this project.
Signed [1]:
JONAS, Klaus Werner, Germany, SOC
BINDIG, Rudolf, Germany, SOC
ELO, Mikko, Finland, SOC
GOERENS, Charles, Luxembourg, LDR
G�L�I�EK, Ali Riza, Turkey, SOC
HOFFMANN, Jelena, Germany, SOC
KIRILOV, Evgeni, Bulgaria, SOC
KOX, Tiny, Netherlands, UEL
LINTONEN, Minna, Finland, SOC
SEYIDOV, Samad, Azerbaijan, EDG
STREB-HESSE, Rita, Germany, SOC
WODARG, Wolfgang, Germany, SOC
SOC
EPP
EDG
LDR
UEL
NRSocialist Group
Group of the European People’s Party
European Democratic Group
Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group
Group of the Unified European Left
Not registered in a group