79. Agrees that there cannot be a ‘one size fits all’ approach to CSR but recognises that the profusion of various CSR initiatives, although demonstrating awareness of the importance of CSR policies, can generate additional costs, be a barrier to implementation and undermine trust and fairness; believes that there must be sufficient flexibility when implementing CSR guidelines to cater for the specific requirements of each Member State and region, with particular regard to the capacities of SMEs; welcomes, however, the Commission's active cooperation with the participation of Parliament and the Council together with other inte ...[+++]rnational bodies to achieve a fundamental convergence of CSR initiatives in the long term and the exchange and promotion of good corporate practice regarding CSR, as well as to push forward the guidelines found in the International Standard ISO 26000 so as to ensure a single global, coherent and transparent definition of CSR; urges the Commission to contribute effectively to the guidance and coordination of EU Member State policies, thereby minimising the risk of additional costs being incurred by businesses operating in more than one Member State as a result of divergent provisions;

81. Agrees that there cannot be a ‘one size fits all’ approach to CSR but recognises that the profusion of various CSR initiatives, although demonstrating awareness of the importance of CSR policies, can generate additional costs, be a barrier to implementation and undermine trust and fairness; believes that there must be sufficient flexibility when implementing CSR guidelines to cater for the specific requirements of each Member State and region, with particular regard to the capacities of SMEs; welcomes, however, the Commission's active cooperation with the participation of Parliament and the Council together with other inte ...[+++]rnational bodies to achieve a fundamental convergence of CSR initiatives in the long term and the exchange and promotion of good corporate practice regarding CSR, as well as to push forward the guidelines found in the International Standard ISO 26000 so as to ensure a single global, coherent and transparent definition of CSR; urges the Commission to contribute effectively to the guidance and coordination of EU Member State policies, thereby minimising the risk of additional costs being incurred by businesses operating in more than one Member State as a result of divergent provisions;

Both old and new Member States are urged, in their economic and planning policy, to give due consideration to the scope that inland waterways offer in order to meet the transport needs of enterprises, not only for bulkier, but also for slimmer, flows of goods.

The CIP will be a single EU instrument designed as a comprehensive response to the call for bigger, simpler, and more visible and targeted tools in favour of enterprises.

To achieve the objectives of the Lisbon Summit on entrepreneurship and transition to an information society for all, we need dynamic and competitive businesses.

The third priority is to improve training systems, taking more account of businesses' training needs in the context of industrial change.