The presentation last June of the bill on the growth and transformation of companies (“law PACTE”) contributes to the debate on the role that the company must play in society vis-à-vis, in particular, the social and environmental issues. In this context, many actors advocate the creation of a mission-based status, that is to say, companies formed by partners who stipulate, in their contract of society, a social, scientific or environmental mission that they assign to their company in addition to their goal of profit, which would continue. It would be to go beyond the issues related to Corporate Social Responsibility, by overcoming the gap between lucrative and non-profit sectors.

The aim of this conference, co-organized by the Jacques Delors Institute and MACIF, is to take stock of this debate on the missions and the raison d’être of companies and to consider desirable avenues for change. In its work, can France draw inspiration from good practices from other countries, such as the benefit corporation in the United States, the Community interest companies in the United Kingdom or the Società Benefit in Italy? Does the European Commission think about these questions and could it not consider proposing such a new European company status?

Program

18:00 Welcome by Alain Montarant, President of MACIF Group
18:15 Debate: Companies – missions and reasons for being, with Jean-Baptiste Barfety, reporter for the Notat-Senard mission*, Blanche Segrestin, professor in management sciences (Mines ParisTech, PSL University), chair of the Chair Business Theory: Governance Models and Collective Creation* and Maija Laurila, Head of the Corporate Law Unit, European Commission*
Moderation: Sofia Fernandes, senior researc fellow in charge of economic and social affairs at the Jacques Delors Institute
19:45 Conclusion by Didier Fégly, treasurer of the Jacques Delors Institute, CEO of Sacred