As part of the protection of applicants (whistleblower protection) The EU has developed a mechanism for reporting sanctions violations.
As stated on the Commission’s website, «The exchange of first-hand information can become a powerful tool for uncovering cases of sanctions violations, including evasion and circumvention. By voluntarily providing us with information about violations of EU sanctions that you may be aware of, you can help us investigate such activities and enforce EU sanctions’.
On the website of the Commission you can find answers to the following questions:
What can be reported?
‘The reported information may relate to violations of EU sanctions, their circumstances or the persons, companies and third countries involved, that are not publicly known but are known to you. This may cover past, current or planned violations of sanctions, as well as attempts to circumvent EU sanctions’.
Who can inform?
You can report anonymously. Such applicants are subject to the 2018 EU Directive on the Protection of Applicants.
What happens after the information is submitted?
A Commissioner reviews the report and conducts a preliminary investigation of the report on the violation of sanctions.
If the Commission considers that the information provided by the whistleblower is reliable, it will transmit the anonymous report and any additional information collected during the internal investigation to the national competent authorities in the Member State(s) concerned. The Commission may subsequently provide further assistance to the investigation as necessary and periodically monitor the investigation until a conclusion is reached.
«The EU Sanctions Whistleblower Tool protects your identity and allows you to contact us anonymously to report violations of EU sanctions.»
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