Over the past year, Europe has seen a shift in the European Commission’s approach to corporate sustainability, with this year’s Omnibus proposal marking a clear move toward simplification and the Clean Industrial Deal aiming to establish a more competitiveness-oriented model.
CSR Europe has long worked at the crossroads of business and EU institutions, fostering dialogue and collaboration to ensure that the voice of practitioners is reflected in Europe’s sustainability agenda, delivering real impact while also enhancing the continent’s competitiveness.
Against this backdrop, CSR Europe has established the European CSO Network with a twofold objective:
- – To foster dialogue between often overlooked sustainability practitioners – Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) and the EU policymakers shaping the regulatory landscape.
- – To highlight and help define the evolving role of CSOs, providing a space for these professionals to exchange best practices, discuss challenges, and offer feedback.
These objectives are pursued through two dedicated workstreams: one focused on supporting the development of better, more effective EU regulation, and another exploring how competitiveness can be strengthened through corporate responsibility.
The first workstream, which has just concluded, culminated in the publication of the paper “Better Regulation for Stronger Implementation”.
In this report, CSOs from across Europe present actionable recommendations for ensuring that the Omnibus proposal is workable and effectively supports corporate sustainability.
All eyes then turned to the second workstream, focusing on how to unlock value from sustainability, which ultimately became the central theme of the closed-door CSO Network meeting held during the European Sustainable Industry Summit 2025. Building sustainable and competitive markets was the focus of the Summit’s first day, held on 23 & 24th October 2025 in Mechelen, Belgium.
Far more than a high-level gathering, the Summit served as a practical demonstration of the collaborative spirit needed to advance the Green and Just Transition.
With the CSO Network at its heart, and the CSO Paper as a key reference, the event helped chart a path toward sustainable markets where compliance and competitiveness reinforce one another. Throughout the discussions, platforms such as the European CSO Network, powered by CSR Europe, were recognized as essential hubs for sustaining this dialogue.
- – Read more about the European Sustainable Industry Summit
- – Read more about the European CSO Network
