The National Transparency Authority participated at the 87th Thessaloniki International Fair (Hall 15-Stand 39) with an informative Workshop on “Whistleblowing and Transparency”.
More than 200 public and private sector executives had the opportunity to be informed on what Whistleblowing is, how it contributes to the fight against corruption, what is the role of the NTA in the law implementation, as well as on the operation, from 11. 08.2023, of the reporting platform through which employees of private and public bodies, can safely report anonymously illegal behavior and practices occurring within companies or organizations.
The following topics were presented:
- What is whistleblowing?
- What does EU Directive 2019/1937 provide, what are the good international practices, and how are they incorporated into Greek legislation?
- What is the Internal and External Reporting Channel?
- What is the role of the ΝΤΑ in the implementation of Law 4990/2022, and how does the on line reporting platform operate?
- What are the challenges faced by the public and private sectors?
Mrs. Alexandra Rogkakou , the NTA Intherim Governor, stressed out that "whistleblowing is not just another opportunity to submit a report under Law 4990 of 2022, but it is the right that a whistleblower has to file a report (‘to blow the whistle’) with a structured system of protection".
Event’s key note speakers:
- Mrs Maria Konstantinidou, Head of the NTA General Directorate for Integrity & Accountability, rendered the term ‘Whistleblowing’ with the phrase "I sound the alarm" and with detailed examples of cases she explained what whistleblowing is, who it applies to, how the whistleblower of an organisation or body is protected from retaliation and the role of the Whistleblowing Receiving and Monitoring Officer (RPMO) under Law 4990/2023.
- Natasha Sotiropoulou and Mrs. Eleftheria Salamoura, Legal Associates of the NTA Interim Governor and advisors to the NTA working group, spoke about the challenges they faced during the stage of implementing the Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and the law preparation, as well as the NTA’s contribution to the development of the national framework for the protection of persons reporting violations and how the confidentiality of the report is ensured.
- Konstantina Mastrogianni, Head of the NTA General Directorate of Financial & Administrative Affairs & e-Governance, presented the responsibilities of the Reporting Receipt and Monitoring Officer (RRMA), analyzing the report evaluation process while highlighting the specific requirements of the role, such as confidentiality, trust, etc.
- Nikos Dimopoulos, Director of Compliance in Growthfund, the National Fund of Greece, explained how the whistleblowing tool is applied both at the origanisation and its subsidiaries. He referred to the difficulties they faced and the challenges they are still facing.
- Sofoklis Karapidakis, Compliance Director of MYTILINEOS S.A. and member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Regulatory Compliance Professionals of Greece, during his presentation, analysed the points that need special attention in relation to the role of the Whistleblowing Receiving and Monitoring Officer (RPMO) in the private sector.
- Ioannis Foustanakis, Head of the NTA Strategic Planning & Behavioural Analysis Directorate, presented all the available ways in which an interested party can submit a report to the NTA (via a call center that also supports the possibility of automatic audio recording, by email, by personal meeting with authorized personnel after a telephone call, by mail or in person at the NTA's central or regional buildings).
Then, he presented the Authority's online platform (https://extwhistle.aead.gr ), which constitutes the external reporting channel for the reporting of the Act.4990/2022 (whistleblowing), where employees or suppliers in private and public entities can report anonymously and securely breaches of EU Law harmful for the public interest and practices occurring within their companies or organisations. Finally, he referred to the challenges faced by the working group during the preparation stage of the platform, the way it is implemented and operated, and provided statistics and data.
For more information you can follow the links below:
https://aead.gr/education/draseis-evesthitopoiisis/87tif-hmerida-whistleblowing-diafaneia-yliko