What Happens When We Promote Market Research Code in Brussels?
Everyday, ESOMAR’s members, and members of over 60 national and international associations are working hard to uphold the highest of ethical and professional standards. Their voluntary commitment to abide by the principles of the ICC/ESOMAR Code and its disciplinary processes are at the core of who we are, what we do, and how we are seen. But is that commitment paying off? Is our target audience listening? Are they valuing our efforts?
As part of our activities in Brussels, we wanted to connect our members to Robert Madelin and to get his thoughts about the future of self-regulation and why it was important that ESOMAR’s members, our partner national and international associations, and the broader market research community continue to invest in making OUR self regulation work. Check our the interview conducted by ESOMAR’s Government Affairs Team below to get more insight into the Commission’s thinking and why it matters to researchers, their companies, and their clients:
Putting it in context
Since 1948, market, social, and opinion research has been at the forefront of self-regulation by being amongst the first sectors to self-regulate professional standards and practice to protect respondents and guarantee the quality of research. We were doing self-regulation before it had a name, and certainly well before regulators first began penning data protection laws!
The work that has been achieved over the decades has allowed ESOMAR and the network of 60+ national and international associations who have adopted or endorsed the code to establish a global currency promoting the value of ethical and professional standards and helping the industry to set itself apart. It was a monumental task then, and continues to be a powerful statement of our responsible approach to conducting business.
Regulators throughout the world have recognised our efforts by developing legislation that sometimes exempts us from new onerous requirements designed to keep other sectors in check.
Self-regulation pays back
Self-regulation pays back in a big way. It helps our sector maintain the flexibility it needs to operate and innovate, and at the same time allows us to keep an open, frank, and continuous dialogue on what is and isn’t acceptable.
In an age when technological changes are disrupting existing workflows and processes like never before, at a time when laws and lawmakers are continuously chasing after developments, our self-regulation continues to be a lighthouse for our sector and the general public alike.
Governments recognise this and are looking at ways in which they can give more space for businesses to act first, allowing legislators to focus on more pressing issues and only acting when it is absolutely necessary.
Highlighting the specificities in Brussels of our self-regulatory approach
ESOMAR was delighted to be invited earlier this year to chair a session organised by the European Commission to present and showcase market, social, and opinion research’s self-regulation model.
The European Commission organises a Community of Practice on Better Co- and Self- Regulation where it explores alongside business and consumer advocates the features of good co- and self- regulation and where it makes most sense to apply it. It is a forum where certain parts of the Commission wish to use to showcase the cost-saving results of self-regulation and underline that when done right, self-regulation can be just as [if not more] effective than legislating. Being at the table allows us to present the great work we’ve collectively achieved and should be proud of.
The efforts, spearheaded by leaders like Robert Madelin, Director General of the European Commission, aim to give more space for effective self-regulation to become a standard part of enforcement and compliance in the future. It’s about making the case for governments to keep allowing us to continue the good work.
The session also featured interventions from the forestry sector, which also faces challenges of designing a self-regulation model that delivers for business and consumers alike in an increasingly complex and technical world.