Workshop for legal entities owned by central, local and regional governments on whistle-blower protection and OECD standards against transnational bribery

A workshop on the application of the Act on the Protection of Persons Who Report Irregularities was held today in the premises of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation

The focus of the workshop for legal persons owned by the Republic of Croatia and local and regional self-government units was on additional training of confidential persons in charge of receiving reports of irregularities in legal persons, as well as trade union commissioners, who play an important role in informing reporters about their rights, and employees themselves, i.e. potential reporting persons.

The participants were informed about employers' obligations and procedures for receiving reports, as well as about the mechanisms that ensure the protection of reporting persons.

In addition to discussing the practical application of the Act, the role and work of the OECD Working Group on Combating Bribery in International Business Transactions was presented, as well as the key obligations arising from the Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions. The importance of criminal liability for foreign bribery was underlined, including the liability of legal persons, and the contribution of these standards to fair competition and sustainable development.

Particular emphasis was placed on OECD’s recommendations for strengthening the protection of reporting persons in view of their important role in detecting foreign bribery cases, in line with the Recommendation of the Council for Further Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, which is an accompanying legal instrument to the Convention. It highlighted the obligation of Member States to provide strong and effective legal and institutional frameworks to protect against retaliation all persons who, for justified reasons, report suspicions of corruption in the working environment. Measures to prevent retaliation, strengthen confidentiality, ensure available remedies and the importance of education and awareness-raising were also presented. 

This workshop was held as part of the implementation of the Action Plan 2025-2027 accompanying the Anti-Corruption Strategy 2021-2030, and was delivered by representatives of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation in cooperation with the Office of the Ombudswoman.

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