The potential of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to contribute to the implementation and integration of EU strategies (CORE)

The EU has committed itself to some core strategies to shape Europe's future. These include, among others, the Lisbon Strategy, the Sustainability Strategy and the integration of an enlarged Union. These strategies can only be successful if their implementation adequately and effectively involves business actors, non-profit staeholders and networks, local communities and civil society. In this setting, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) holds the potential to stimulate corporate contributions to implementating and integrating the mentioned EU strategies. It may thus contribute to make the EU "the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world".

CORE devises the organisation of a coherent series of four Conferences targeted to young researchers and aimed to investigate the potential contribution of CSR to implement and integrate EU strategies. The first three Conferences to be held in 2006-2008, focus on the Sustainability Strategy, the Lisbon Strategy and EU Enlargement respectively. The forth and last Conference takes will place in 2009, in Berlin and tackle the question of whether CSR can promote the necessary integration of the three strategies.

The CORE Conferences represent a unique opportunity for young researchers to learn about the potential of CSR in an interdisciplinary and stimulating setting. A different range of multidisciplinary competencies and professional experiences is gathered with the intent to provide highly qualified training on a research topic of European interest. The Conferences are structured and metodologically shaped in a way to guarantee a lively and constructive exchange of knowledge from experienced researchers and professionals to young researchers. Attention is also devoted to publicity and dissemination strategies, with the intent to keep the flow of information going, thus enhancing training opportunities.