The European Charter

The European Charter to implement social initiatives at train stations was signed 29 October 2008, in the consulting room at the palace of the Province of Rome, by representatives from the FS railroad companies of Italy, SNCF of France, SNCB of Belgium and CFL of Luxembourg. The Charter was subsequently also signed by the Polish PKP company.

The Charter is based on the recognition, by the companies operating in the railroad and urban transportation sectors, of the principles stated in the European Community's Green Book on the social responsibility of businesses.

"The concept of social responsibility of businesses means essentially that they will create their own initiatives to contribute to the improvement of society and a cleaner environment. (...) Even if they are primarily concerned with showing a profit, businesses can, at the same time, contribute to society and the protection of the environment, integrating social responsibility as a strategic investment into the framework of their business strategy,  their management tools and their activities."

(From The Green Book of the European Commission to Promote a European Framework for Social Responsibility among Businesses, Brussels, July 2001)
In the context of a dynamic vision of sustainable development, the participants recognize that the social responsibility of companies operating in the railroad and urban transportation sectors is a value worth affirming, which must be taken into account in evaluating the validity of a company's plan.

Cognizant of their responsibility to society as a whole, they have formalized through the Charter a vision of their civic and social responsibilities, particularly regarding the management of social problems and existing railroad company safety regulations, with the conviction that tackling difficulties requires working with a network of other interested entities, both public and private.