During the Public Affairs Forum 2023 - the Italian event for public and institutional communication - institutions, companies and professional associations debated relations between companies, institutions and above all lobbying. "Responsibility in business is fundamental”, said Claudio di Mario, Founding partner of Italian Public Affairs Advisory ADL Consulting, in his introductory speech, "because the quality of democracy is measured by the quality of its lobbying.” When talking about 'corporate responsibility', four specific levers must be distinguished: responsible lobbying, clear corporate positioning, political participation projects, and welfare support.
Di Mario took the Public Affairs Forum as an opportunity to introduce Corporate Political Responsibility (CPR) as a new 'mindset' to Italian institutional relations: “This innovative approach calls for an expansion of corporate responsibility beyond traditional boundaries into the public domain. The event illuminated the topic of CPR by presenting an in-depth analysis in its report 'Corporate Political Responsibility: the new frontier of corporate sustainability'.
More than 100 high-profile guests from the corporate and institutional world enriched the event with their thoughts and presence. The four thematic panels, focusing on Energy and Strategic Investments, Innovation, Research and Human Capital, Digital & Inclusion and the New Space Economy, provided valuable insights into how companies can adopt ethical behaviour in their lobbying activities and relations with institutions.
Exceptional speakers, such as the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, and representatives of some of Italy's largest companies explored the potential benefits of adopting CPR. Dr. Johannes Bohnen shared how he first coined CPR: "I developed the concept of CPR about nine years ago and it is a concept that lies in the evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility. We are all familiar with the concept of CSR, which emphasises the ecological and social dimensions, but I think we should focus more on an engagement in the political sphere”. His contribution stimulated debate and catalysed attention on this emerging dimension of corporate responsibility.
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