ECOA cohosted the 9th European Business Ethics Forum from February 22-24, 2012 at the Hotel Crowne Plaza in Paris, France. The event was cohosted with partners Institute of Business Ethics (IBE), Cercle d’Ethique des Affaires (CEA), and the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN).

The two-day event afforded an international group of ethics, compliance, and business conduct leaders the opportunity to share experiences and best practices in business ethics on a host of issues that have arisen since EBEF was convened last year in London.

Patrick Kron, chairman and chief executive officer of Alstom, gave the opening address. He was joined by Michel Guilbaud, director general, French Business Confederation, and Paul Hunsinger, special representative of the Director General of the Treasury for International Affaires, French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry. Their discussion focused on the action plan previously set forth by the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (also known as G-20), which outlined ways to address issues of global corruption. They spoke on the emerging role of the Business 20 group (also known as B-20), an offshoot of the G-20, which has countered with additional approaches and topics for consideration and debate. Additionally, Mr. Kron spoke at length regarding the comprehensive activities of Alstom in fortifying his company against bribery and corruption.

Other topics addressed during EBEF included: 

•  Measuring program effectiveness 
•  Supply chain and thirty-party risks 
•  Undertaking due diligence with regards to human rights issues 
•  How to enhance codes of conduct 
•  Training “do’s and don’ts” 
•  Developing ethical leadership from the “middle” 
•  Ethics issues in compensation and incentive plans 
•  Working with business partners 
•  The liability of the ethics officer 
•  Conflicts-of-interest 
•  What do to when asked for a bribe 
•  Risks and benefits of social media 
•  How to address the expectation gap

Dominique Moïsi, world-renowned political scientist and analyst in geopolitics, presented on a panel addressing the lack of transparency in politics and business today and ensuing popular responses such as the Arab Spring and the global “Occupy” movement. His panel also spoke about business ethics issues that arise regarding culture, wealth, and generation gaps and how to address them.
The 2013 European Business Ethics Forum will be held 23-25 January 2013 in Amsterdam. For more information, please visit ebef.eu.