Whistleblowing Policy and complaints
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) is committed to the values of integrity, transparency, accountability, good governance, fairness and cooperation. The Bank encourages openness and has zero tolerance for misconduct, fraud and corruption. The Whistleblowing Policy provides a safe and confidential framework for reporting concerns about actions or behaviours that may be detrimental to the CEB’s assets, integrity, reputation or staff.
Who can report?
Reports may be submitted by:
- CEB staff members, appointed officials and contractual collaborators; and
- external parties, including borrowers, contractors, consultants, suppliers and other third parties with relevant information.
Reports should be made in good faith, including on a confidential or anonymous basis.
What can be reported?
The Policy covers concerns relating to, inter alia:
- fraud, corruption and other prohibited practices
- money laundering and terrorist financing
- serious breaches of the Codes of Conduct
- other misconduct affecting the CEB’s activities, projects or operations.
Protection and confidentiality
The CEB is committed to protecting whistleblowers who report concerns in good faith:
- the identity of whistleblowers is kept confidential, subject to limited exceptions provided for in the Policy
- retaliation is strictly prohibited and constitutes misconduct;
- appropriate measures may be taken to protect whistleblowers from adverse consequences.
Personal data processed in the context of whistleblowing is handled in accordance with the CEB’s data protection framework.
How reports are handled
Whistleblower reports are received and reviewed by the Office of the Chief Compliance Officer (OCCO). Where appropriate, reports may lead to an independent administrative investigation, conducted in line with the CEB’s investigative framework and with due respect for the rights of all parties concerned.
Contacts:
- General compliance matters: compliance@coebank.org
- Whistleblowing (confidential): OCCO-whistleblowing@coebank.org
- Data Protection Commissioner: Mr Billy Hawkes, DPC@coebank.org
- Data Protection Officer: DPO@coebank.org