We take part in public debates in France, Europe and worldwide on compelling issues such as energy efficiency and diversification, the Kyoto Protocol, industrial safety and human rights.

Information and involvement

As a responsible corporate citizen, we believe it is our duty to participate in public debates related to our operations by:

• Providing the competent authorities with the technical information they need to make decisions.
• Taking part in national and international public debate on such key issues as climate change and the role of companies in upholding human rights.

We communicate with political leaders either directly or through organizations of which we are a member:

• International associations, such as the Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe (UNICE) and ERT .
• Industry associations such as the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (OGP), Europia, Eurogas, and the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic).
• Organizations that specialize in social responsibility, such as The Conference Board, the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA), CSR Europe, and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR).

We focus solely on public issues directly related to our operations. It is not our role to intervene in the conduct or, especially, financing of politics in host countries.

Principal public debates in which Total takes a position

	Issue	Public position taken by Total
	Universal guidelines and norms on human rights and transnational corporations	Total supports the establishment of universal guidelines and is participating actively in the process conducted by the Special  Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
	Operating in countries that do not uphold human rights	Total promotes human rights within our sphere of operations and is careful to ensure that our presence benefits the local community. We respect the decisions made by the competent international organizations, but do not believe that boycotts and embargos promote human rights.
	Transparent management of oil revenues	Total actively supports the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. We participate in the programs initiated by the countries committed to the EITI and provide assistance to countries interested in doing the same.
	Kyoto Protocol	Total supports implementation of the Protocol, which must not, however, undermine the industrial competitiveness of signatory countries. Our industrial strategy helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our scope of operations.
	Biofuels	Total supports the development of biofuels, which must meet customer quality and performance requirements and comply with European Union regulations concerning competition and the free movement of goods. We are participating in the sustained research and development programs that second-generation biofuels require.
	Secure energy supply	In a world where easily-producible oil and gas resources are increasingly scarce and oil and gas nationalism and geopolitical instability are on the rise, Total believes that: - All available sources of energy will have to be utilized and oil should be reserved for applications where substitutes are hardest to find, namely transportation and petrochemicals. - Supply chain security must be upgraded and regional supply sources diversified. - Acreage must remain open to international companies and their technical capabilities, to ensure that the necessary investments are made..
	Energy efficiency	Policies to promote energy efficiency, a vital component in reducing energy consumption, must cover all segments, especially the residential and commercial segments, where significant improvements can be made. They must combine regulations, incentives and market mechanisms that do not distort competition among the various types of energy.
	European Union energy policy	We support this policy and are actively taking part in the process to draft consistent renewable energy and climate change regulations that protect competitiveness.
	Maritime facility and transportation	Total supports the European Commission’s “Third package of legislative measures on maritime safety in the European Union,” with the exception of certain provisions that are still being negotiated, especially in the directive concerning shipowner responsibility. We regret the failure to revise the CLC/IOPC Fund to provide compensation for oil pollution damage resulting from spills from tankers. But we approve the introduction of the STOPIA and TOPIA agreements increasing the “shipowners’ limit” for compensation for accidents involving small tankers or for major disasters, which reduces the imbalance vis-à-vis IOPC Funds contributions. Total is part of a new IOPC Funds working group looking at ways of improving maritime safety, to supplement the technical measures recommended by the International Maritime Organization.