The adopted amendments underline the significance of CSR activities´ voluntary nature, encourage CSR practice to tackle new areas such as lifelong learning and equality and highlight the internationally accepted OECD guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Furthermore a global dimension is added, stating that guidelines on CSR should be a stimulus for promoting the development of such policies throughout the world. In his opening remarks Gunnar Hökmark stressed that he wished to uphold a coherent line throughout his opinion where the field of CSR is free from binding regulation, minimum regulatory standards or any form of legislative framework. All attempts to change the drafted opinion in this regard failed as the majority of the members in the committee rejected proposals suggesting to implement regulatory measures for CSR practice on a Community level. The vote in the committee was overall successful and sharpened the core essence of the opinion; to leave the field of CSR unregulated and give individual actors in the corporate world the opportunity to find a reasonable balance between ethical considerations, profit making and competitiveness.
