Corporate Social Responsibility National public policies in the ...

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY - National public policies in the European Union
years. In March 2004, the government approved the
State Environmental Policy for the Czech Republic for
2004 to 2010.
Cleaner production means the sustained application of
an integrated and preventive strategy to processes,
products and services, with the aim of providing economic
benefits, as well as health and safety at work, and
protection for the environment. The Czech Government
deliberated upon and adopted the national programme
Cleaner Production in its Resolution no. 165/2000 of 9
February 2000. To date, some 140 cleaner production
projects have been implemented in the Czech Republic,
based on the voluntary decisions of the companies'
management. These include primarily companies working
in light and heavy industry, the chemical industry,
textile industry, transport companies, food-processing
companies, health care companies, and companies
engaged in primary agricultural production and in
forestry.
Act no. 76/2002 Coll. established an integrated registry
of environmental pollution in the Czech Republic, which
includes information about air, water and soil pollution,
as well as on the transfer of waste for processing or
removal. This system is publicly accessible and may be
used by a broad range of entities, including NGOs. It can
also be used by individuals wanting, for example, to
learn about the situation in their region or at their place
of residence, or by employees to learn about the situation
in their company or the operation where they work.
The Energy Service Company (ESCO) provides guaranteed
energy services to customers. There are two basic
methods of guaranteeing energy services. The Energy
Performance Contract (EPC) guarantees the achievement
of savings in consumption and future energy
costs. The Energy Contract focuses on greater efficiency
in the generation and distribution of energy. What is
fundamental and decisive for the ultimate satisfaction
of customers is a thorough and clear definition of the
guarantee provided by the ESCO to the customer in an
agreement on guaranteed energy services. To date,
seven business entities are registered in the Czech
Energy Agency's database of energy service companies.
Public procurement
Regulation no. 240/2004 Coll. on the Public Procurement
Information System, and on the Methods for Evaluating
Bids According to their Economic Advantageousness,
enumerates environmental aspects as one of the
sub-criteria for awarding a contract.
Trade and export policies
The NCP was set up with the objective of implementing
the OECD Directive for Supranational Companies, monitoring
the behaviour of supranational companies, and
addressing any disputes in the Czech Republic after its
accession to the OECD. The Czech Republic's NCP is the
Czech Ministry of Finance. Key participants in the NCP are
the Czech Association of Industry and Transport and the
Czech-Moravian Confederation of Union Associations; its
meetings are also attended by the representatives of certain
ministries and state authorities. The NCP is convened
once a year, and if necessary extraordinary meetings may
also be held.
Since its inception, the NCP has received five submissions
concerning breaches of the OECD Directive for
Supranational Companies, all of which concerned failures
to adhere to principles embodied in point IV of the
Directive, 'Employment and employment relations', especially
the right of employees to be represented by trade
unions, the creation of the necessary conditions for concluding
collective agreements, and general support for
the cooperation of employers, employees and their representatives.
All of the submissions received were filed by
trade union bodies - the Czech-Moravian Confederation
of Union Associations, the KOVO Union Association, the
Union Association of Railway Staff and the Czech-
Moravian Union Association of Restaurants, Hotels and
Tourism. At six extraordinary sessions, three specific cases
were resolved, disputes in companies settled, and contact
between the company's management and employees or
trade unions established. The fourth specific case was set
aside, given parallel court proceedings: the NCP will
return to the case once the court has decided. The fifth
specific case was withdrawn from the agenda of the NCP
meeting, at the request of the person who presented it.
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