Digital Reporting Portal

Integrity, compliance with the law and respectful interaction form the cornerstones of our business conduct. You can use our whistleblowing system to confidentially report potential breaches.

Who can submit reports?

Reports may be submitted in particular by:

  • Employees (including former employees)
  • Job applicants
  • Interns
  • Service providers, suppliers and their employees
  • Other individuals who have a professional connection with our company

What issues can be reported?

The whistleblowing system is designed for reporting serious breaches of rules or laws, for example:

  • Corruption, bribery or fraud
  • Breaches of data protection or information security regulations
  • Breaches of employment law or the General Equal Treatment Act
  • Breaches of environmental, occupational health and safety or product safety regulations
  • Other significant breaches of legal regulations or internal guidelines

For general complaints, claims or customer enquiries, please continue to contact us via the usual channels.

How can reports be submitted?

You can submit reports via our digital reporting portal at the following link:
https://ebalta.meldestelle.compliance-center.eu/

Reports may also be submitted anonymously if desired. In this case, please provide as much specific information as possible so that the matter can be investigated.

Confidentiality and protection of whistleblowers

All reports are treated in strict confidence. The identity of whistleblowers and of any persons named in the report is protected in accordance with legal requirements and disclosed only to those persons involved in handling the case.

Discrimination or reprisals against persons who submit a report in good faith will not be tolerated. Violations may result in consequences under employment or disciplinary law.

Processing procedure

  1. Acknowledgement of receipt: Once a report has been received via the designated reporting channel, the reporting person will be notified of its receipt within seven calendar days at the latest. Confirmation is sent via the reporting channel used. At this stage, we ensure that the confidentiality of the whistleblower’s identity and that of any persons named in the report is maintained. Access to the report is restricted to those persons expressly designated for this purpose and bound by confidentiality.
  2. Relevance assessment: Following the acknowledgement of receipt, an initial substantive review of the report is carried out (relevance assessment). In particular, this assesses whether the facts described fall within the material scope of the Whistleblower Protection Act, whether the personal scope of application is met, and whether the information provided is sufficient for further processing. If necessary, additional information may be requested from the whistleblower via the secure communication system. The relevance check usually takes around two weeks. Regardless of the outcome of the relevance check, the whistleblower will be informed of the result.
  3. Investigation and fact-finding: If the report is deemed relevant, an internal investigation will be launched. The fact-finding process is carried out by the relevant department or the responsible person within the organisation. The scope and duration of the investigation depend on the nature, complexity and significance of the matter in question and are therefore variable.
    As part of the investigation, documents may be analysed, internal processes reviewed and, whilst ensuring confidentiality and compliance with data protection regulations, interviews conducted with affected or knowledgeable individuals. Care is always taken to ensure that the rights of all parties involved, in particular the right to be heard and to a fair hearing, are upheld.
  4. Assessment and follow-up measures: Once the audit and, where applicable, the investigation have been completed, a decision is made on appropriate follow-up measures based on the findings. The nature and scope of the measures depend on the severity and impact of the reported incident. Various measures may be taken, including, but not limited to, the following:
      • Disciplinary measures and sanctions against employees
      • Criminal proceedings
      • Civil proceedings
      • Organisational measures
  5. Feedback to the whistleblower: Regardless of the outcome of the proceedings, the whistleblower will receive feedback on the status of the proceedings or on any follow-up measures planned or already taken no later than three months after the acknowledgement of receipt. If a final assessment is not yet possible at the time of the feedback, the whistleblower will be informed of the current stage of the investigation. The feedback is provided in accordance with legal requirements and must not contain any information that could prejudice ongoing investigations or infringe upon the legitimate interests of third parties.

Data protection

Personal data is processed when using the whistleblowing system. Information on data processing, your rights as a data subject and our contact details can be found in the separate privacy notice for the whistleblowing system:
https://ebalta.com/en/privacy-policy/