EU Whistleblower Protection Directive.
EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, whistleblowers are now legally protected in the EU. As of 17th December, the Directive (EU) 2019/1937 (commonly referred to as the “EU Whistleblower Protection Directive”) has become effective. Adopted by the European Council in 2019, the Directive aims to strengthen protections for people who report breaches of EU law, create safer, better-defined reporting channels across all EU member states, and move member states towards a unified legal framework. From this date onwards, across all EU member states, the identity of whistleblowers will be safeguarded, and retaliation against them will be prohibited.
Key provisions of the Directive
The new Directive will affect public and private organisations with 50+ employees as an organisation will need to implement a range of actions to comply with the new rules:
- Introduce internal channels and procedures, including ensuring that the whistleblower’s identity is kept confidential;
- Prohibit all forms of retaliation against whistleblowers;
- Identify competent authorities to receive, provide feedback and progress reports; and
- Implement effective and proportionate penalties for anyone who retaliates against whistleblowers, obstructs disclosure reporting or otherwise breaches the duties outlined in the Directive.
This is a milestone in the fight against corruption and bribery, and the ABAC® Center of Excellence is here to help you.
What action should you be taking?
EU Whistleblowing Directive focus on helping whistleblowers feel safer in speaking up. At ABAC®, we believe the EU laws will prove invaluable to organisations when flagged inappropriate behaviour earlier and organised. There are several steps that an organisation must go through to be compliant with the new EU Whistleblowing Directive. It is a process that can be stressful and intense, especially if you don’t know where to start.
At ABAC®, we believe that compliance with the new laws does not need to be complicated. The talented ABAC® team, and in anticipation of the EU Whistleblower protection Directive, is now offering ISO 37002:2021 Whistleblowing Management System certification and training.
ABAC® certification and training can help you meet the requirements of the whistleblower protection law. Whether you are looking to implement, manage, evaluate, maintain or improve a whistleblowing management system, our ABAC® team is here to support you.
Comply with and gain value from the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive with ISO 37002:2021 Whistleblowing Management System certification and training. The ISO 37002:2021 can assist an organisation in improving its existing whistleblowing policy and procedures or in complying with applicable whistleblowing legislation.
Building a better whistleblowing mechanism by adopting ISO 37002:2021
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has developed new guidelines for whistleblowing management systems — ISO 37002. ISO 37002 provides guidelines for establishing, implementing, managing, evaluating, maintaining and improving a robust and effective whistleblowing management system, with the following outcomes:
- Encouraging and facilitating reporting of wrongdoing
- ensuring reports of wrongdoing are dealt with in a proper and timely manner
- improving organisational culture and governance
- Supporting and protecting whistleblowers and other interested parties
The ISO Whistleblower Guidelines is based on the principles of trust, impartiality and protection in the following four steps:
- receiving reports of wrongdoing
- assessing reports of wrongdoing
- addressing reports of wrongdoing
- concluding whistleblowing cases.
The ISO Whistleblower Guidelines are generic and intended to apply to all organisations, regardless of type, size and nature of activities, and whether in the public, private or not-for-profit sector. You can easily adjust the programme you are building based on your organisation’s needs.
You can learn more about how the ABAC® certification can help you comply with the new EU Directive. The EU Whistleblower Protection Directive is effective from now! Get in touch to find out more. We are ready to help you; the ABAC® Group is prepared to support you.
About us
Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption (ABAC®) Center of Excellence, is an independent certification body that provides education and certification services for individuals and organisations on a wide range of disciplines and ISO standards, including ISO 31000:2018 Risk Management- Guidelines, ISO 37000:2021 Governance of Organisations, ISO 37002:2021 Whistleblowing Management System, ISO 37301:2021 (formerly ISO 19600) Compliance Management system, Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems.
ABAC® is accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS CB number: 10613) against ISO/IEC 17021-1:2015 Conformity assessment — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of the scheme’s management systems of ISO 37001:2016 Anti-Bribery Management Systems (ABMS). This makes ABAC® Certification the leading accreditated certification body specialising in global anti-bribery and anti-corruption, risk and compliance management system standards.
If you are seeking to validate or expand your existing compliance frameworks to maintain a competitive edge in the world marketplace ABAC® can help you. Our experts audit your existing compliance and anti-bribery anti-corruption management systems to assess effectiveness and vulnerabilities, while ensuring your organisation complies with Internal Standards, FCPA rules, UK Bribery Act laws, Anti-Money Laundering regulations, and all other global, regional and local regulations. ABAC® offers a complete suite of solutions designed to help organisations mitigate the internal and external risks associated with operating in multi-jurisdiction and multi-cultural environments while assisting in the development of frameworks for strategic compliance programs.
