Corruption is currently a much discussed concept in Slovakia. In the world, Slovakia is rated as a country with a high level of corruption and serious economic crime [1].
However, in 2021 there was an improvement in the perception of corruption and Slovakia ranked 56th out of 180 countries evaluated in the ranking compiled by Transparency International. It thus improved its position by four places compared to 2020 [2].
In connection with the concept of corruption, it is important to draw attention to Act no. 54/2019 Coll. on the protection of whistleblowers of anti-social activities and on the amendment of certain laws, which entered into force on 1 March 2019. The reason for passing the law was to strengthen the position of whistleblowers in criminal proceedings. The adoption of the law created obligations for employers in connection with the internal system for verifying notifications of anti-social activities.
An amendment to Act no. 54/2019 Coll. On the protection of whistleblowers and on the amendment of certain laws is currently being prepared. The purpose of the regulation is to bring national law into line with European Union law. The amendment to the law will include the clarification of terminology in relation to the notifier, the introduction of new terms - the person concerned, retaliation, and the addition of the Office's competence.
The law applies to employers who employ at least 50 employees and also to an employer who is a public authority that employs at least 5 employees. Such an employer is obliged to designate an organizational unit or person (responsible person) who will perform the tasks of the employer according to the law.
Do you often come across WHISTLEBLOWING in connection with anti-social awareness? What do we mean by this term? To explain, this means warning of something unfair, which needs to be given increased attention and control. The definition says that a whistleblower is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent.
An important moment in connection with the law is also the launch of the Office for the Protection of Anti-Social Whistleblowers, which began its activities on September 1, 2021. Its purpose is to protect the rights and legitimate interests of whistleblowers when notifying corruption activities. It is therefore necessary to raise awareness among the public and employers about reporting anti-social activity and providing protection to whistleblowers.
Contact us and we will be happy to create a system for checking notifications of anti-social activities in your company in accordance with the requirements of the law and we will answer any questions you may have.
[1] https://www.slovensko.sk/sk/agendy/agenda/_korupcia
[2] https://transparency.sk/sk/slovensko-sa-v-rebricku-vnimania-korupcie-zlepsilo/
At the end of February this year, the European Commission issued a proposal to ease ESG reporting obligations. The aim of the proposal is to reduce the administrative burden on businesses associated with sustainability reporting. The proposal responds to the need to strengthen EU competitiveness and align regulation with the real opportunities for businesses.
More
AIAG members and Odette - together with established industry partners and stakeholders have decided to release a new version of MMOG/LE, in order to support the following objectives for a more stable and predictable supply chain.
More
ISO / IEC 17025 is a standard that applies to laboratories in various industries and ensures that standards for laboratory testing and calibration are followed in practice.
More
Recently, we have begun to accumulate events that we are not used to in our latitudes. Apart from the pandemic, we have certainly all caught a tornado in Moravia and other extreme weather events. ISO 22301 specifies business continuity requirements and rules and helps companies recover quickly from unforeseen events. Its aim is to prepare companies and protect them in the event of such an exceptional unforeseen event.
More
