Processsing of the European Directive on the protection of whistleblowers

Press release

Provisional agreement of the Parliament and the European Council for the approval of the Directive of the European Union, on the protection of persons reporting offenses throughout the Union

On March 11, 2019 compromisers of the European Parliament and the governments of the European Union have managed to close a provisional agreement in relation to the proposal for a Directive of the European Commission of April 23, 2018, on the protection of people who report offenses and irregularities, which will make it possible to reinforce their protection throughout the Union.

The new European regulation establishes a system of reporting channels, both in the public and private sectors, and allows addressing authorities external to the organization if the appropriate measures are not taken, or there is an imminent or manifest danger to the public interest , or when the complaint to superiors within the organization would not take effect because they may be in collusion with the perpetrators of the offense.

The Directive will protect whistleblowers and provide them with legal advice and reversal of the burden of proof, against dismissal, demotion and other forms of retaliation, and also in legal proceedings, as a result of complaints of fraud, corruption, tax evasion or damages. to the health of people and the environment. In addition, it provides for the imposition of fines on retaliators, and requires Member States to inform citizens about the complaint procedures and the type of protection they can avail of, having to designate a public authority responsible in this area.

Shortly, the European Parliament and the Council will formally approve this agreement, so it is expected that the application of the Directive will be enforceable in all Member States in 2021.

  Press release

Related information

>  Legislative resolution of the European Parliament of 16 April 2019 on the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of persons who report on infringements of Union Law

 

The Antifraud Agencies and Offices of Spain hold their second meeting in Valencia

Press release

The meeting, organized by the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, has brought together the heads of the anti-corruption organizations of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Galicia, Madrid, Barcelona, ​​and the Valencian Community itself.

The meeting was structured around a presentation on gender quotas and corruption and a working session on the use of new technologies applied to the prevention of corruption.

The Agency for the Prevention and Fight against Fraud and Corruption of the Valencian Community has organized the II Meeting of the Network of Offices and Anticorruption Agencies of Spain. The meeting took place in the Sala Vinatea of ​​Les Corts Valencianes and was attended by the Hon. Mr. Enric Xavier Morera Català, President of Les Corts, who welcomed the attendees. The conference was opened by the Director of the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency, Joan Llinares.

The meeting of the Anticorruption Agencies and Offices has brought together the representatives of the Agency for the Prevention and Fight against Fraud and Corruption of the Valencian Community, Joan Llinares; the Director of the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia, Miguel Ángel Gimeno; the Director of the Office for the Prevention and Fight against Corruption in the Balearic Islands, Jaime Far; the Counselor of the Galician Accounts Council, Beatriz Rodríguez; the Director of the Municipal Office against Fraud and Corruption of the Madrid City Council, Carlos Granados; the Head of the Active Advertising Section and Transparency Portal of the Transparency Agency of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, Joan Cotxà, and the Director of Analysis of the Office of Transparency and Good Practices of the Barcelona City Council, Rosa María Sánchez.

During the morning, Pablo Fernández-Vázquez, professor from the Department of Political Science at the University of Pittsburg (USA), gave the presentation “Gender Quotas and Corruption” which was followed by a debate among the participants. This was followed by a working session on the use of new technologies applied to the prevention of corruption. In this session, the Aletheia Project was presented, a system to help traceability of spending in public procurement, which has been carried out by the staff of the Information Service of the Valencian Antifraud Agency and the systems engineer Hervé Falciani.

This meeting reinforces the ties of collaboration between the anti-corruption agencies and offices of the Spanish state, and gives continuity to the first meeting that was held in Barcelona on June 29, sponsored by the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia. In fact, the main agreement reached at that meeting was to create a stable network, with periodic meetings of all existing anti-corruption agencies to share common strategies to fight this phenomenon and share information. Said agreement is circumscribed within a framework in which the lack of a real will to create a National Plan against Corruption and an effective protection of whistleblowers is confirmed.

València, 14 de diciembre de 2018

 
Fecha de publicación: 14/12/2018

Act to commemorate the United Nations World Day Against Corruption

Press release

The Agency for the Prevention and Fight against Fraud and Corruption of the Valencian Community, an independent body attached to Les Corts, was created to prevent and eradicate fraud and corruption in Valencian public institutions and to promote integrity and ethics public. Also to promote a culture of good practices and the rejection of fraud and corruption in the design, execution and evaluation of public policies, as well as in the management of public resources as established in its creation Law.

Next December 10, on the occasion of the celebration of the United Nations World Day Against Corruption, the Valencian Anti-Fraud Agency joins the group of entities of all kinds that celebrate this day under the motto «United against Corruption for the development of Peace and Security ».

For this reason, an event will be held in the auditorium of the ADEIT Foundation in which two lectures will be delivered by Magistrate Luis Manglano and Engineer Ms. Gracia Ballesteros who will discuss, on the occasion of this world day, how corruption It affects us all, taking into consideration that for its prevention and the fight against it it is necessary to apply a comprehensive approach. This event will also be transmitted in streaming through the Youtube channel of the Valencian Antifraude Agency and can be seen through its website.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption, in force since December 2003, is the first binding international instrument to combat corruption and constitutes a unique mechanism to tackle this global problem. Currently, the Convention has 177 States parties, which means that the majority of the United Nations member states have joined the fight.

As the United Nations itself states: “Corruption undermines the ability of governments to serve citizens by corroding the rule of law, public institutions and trust in leaders. Corruption acts as a brake on development and denies millions of people around the world the prosperity, rights, services and jobs they desperately need and deserve.

Valencia, December 5, 2018

Fecha de publicación: 07/12/2018