Sanctions: Commission launches a whistleblower tool to facilitate reporting of possible sanctions violations

The European Commission has rolled out a whistleblower tool to facilitate the reporting of possible sanctions violations. This is a secure online platform, which whistleblowers from around the world can use to anonymously report past, current, or planned EU sanctions violations. The European Commission, which manages the whistleblower tool, is committed to protecting the identity of whistleblowers who take personal risks to report sanctions violations. The tool was announced in the January 2021 Communication on fostering the openness, strength and resilience of the European economic and financial system.

It responds to the Commission's ambition to fully support the effective implementation and enforcement of EU sanctions. The EU has more than 40 sanctions regimes in place and their effectiveness relies on their proper implementation and enforcement, including in thwarting circumvention and evasion of sanctions. As guardian of the EU Treaties, the European Commission is in charge of monitoring the enforcement of EU sanctions across the Union. If the Commission considers that the whistleblower information it received is credible, it will share the anonymised report and any additional information gathered during the internal inquiry into the case with the national competent authorities in the relevant member state(s). More information on EU sanctions as well as access to the whistleblower tool is available here.

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