ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 explores EU action to promote responses to the UNGPs. It focuses on how and to what extent the UNGPs have been codified in EU law and policy and how this codification is effectively implementing CSR, and businesses’ human rights responsibilities, at EU and national level. The European Commission issued the Communication ‘A renewed EU Strategy 2011-14 for Corporate Social Responsibility’ (the EU CSR Strategy) on 25 October 2011. This communication provides the European Commission’s internal policy framework for the promotion of CSR, and business respect for human rights, and sets out a renewed European Strategy for CSR. This chapter argues that there is scope for the EU to increase its level of engagement with the UNGPs. It also notes that the substance of the efforts of the EU and the regulatory responses by the EU, States, business enterprises and other actors to the UNGPs provide indication of evolving CSR standards and practices. To the extent that the EU, by codifying the UNGPs in EU law and policies, succeed in bringing effective implementation of CSR at EU and national level, the corporate respect for human rights already has and should further take on more normative force and binding-ness in the EU context.
