Region of Crete (ROC – P2) organized the 1st Regional Thematic Seminar for its Stakeholders Group on 29th of May 2017 at its Headquarters building on Eleftherias.
The purpose of the 1st seminar was to get in touch with the potential regional stakeholders group, identify their needs and practices regarding CSR and present ROAD – CSR’s goals.
The main findings of the current status of CSR in Greece according to Praxi Network were a moderate level of CSR application in Greek companies and that CSR activities are mainly by Large Enterprises as they have the human capital and the economic means. Enterprises should not perceive CSR as an extra cost, but as an investment with specific goals, measurable outputs and benefits. Regarding CSR in Operational Programmes and Funding run by the Development Agencies the main points relevant to CSR that can be addressed were the Eligibility criteria for Enterprises and Organisations, Social added value with new jobs, Environmental actions / Renewable energy and innovative technologies, Quality standard systems and Excellence awards.
During the discussion the main conclusions were that the establishment of an institutional framework of CSR policy is needed in Greece for efficient coordination of all the players taking part in the CSR initiative (private enterprises, public services, agencies, networks, cooperatives, NGOs, etc). There is a lack of incentives for enterprises by the government and benefits such as tax exemptions are needed. The connection of CSR with innovation was addressed and the need to identify Good practices in Crete. The stakeholders addressed some questions regarding the kind of SMEs that we investigate, the definition of CSR and the focus on a specific sector of the economy such as tourism which is vital for Crete.
