Reporting internal violations of the law/ the Polish Act on the protection of persons who report violations of law (“Whistleblowers”)

On 24.09.2024, the Regulations for reporting internal violations of the law and follow-up actions at the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences were introduced by the Director's Order No. 021.24.2024.

The document was introduced in order to adapt the activities of the ISEA PAS to the new provisions of the Act of 14 June 2024 on the protection of whistleblowers (Journal of Laws of 2024, item 928), imposing the obligation to enable whistleblowers to report violations of law and to protect them from retaliation. The basis for the introduction of new regulations on the protection of whistleblowers was the need to implement into the Polish legal system Directive (EU) 2019/1937 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 on the protection of whistleblowers.

The Rules set out the principles of:

• to make internal reports of violations of the law;
• to provide protection to persons making the report referred to in section 1 in accordance with the provisions of the Law of 24 June 2024 on the protection of whistleblowers.

The person responsible for the collection of the reports, implementation and application of the Regulations on reporting internal violations of the law and follow-up actions at the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, implementation of the rules and procedures set out therein, within the scope concerning investigation and protection of whistleblowers, is Reporting Coordinator appointed by the Director of the Institute.

Reports of violations may be made orally or in writing. An oral report may be made by telephone. A written report may be made on paper or electronically.

Anonymous reports will not be considered.

Means of receipt the reports:

• by e-mail - sent to: naruszenia@isez.pan.krakow.pl in an encrypted file. The password to the file should be given to the Reporting Coordinator in person or by phone;
• by phone - directly to the number assigned to the Reporting Coordinator tel.: 12 422 19 01 ext. 51;
• by post - sent to the following address:
  Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences
  Sławkowska 17, 31-016 Kraków
  with the annotation: „The report of violation”.
• directly to the Reporting Coordinator (the whistleblower then provides his/her correspondence address or e-mail address).

Contact

Useful links:

• Director's Order No. 021.24.2024 of 24.09.2024
• Regulations for reporting internal violations of the law and follow-up actions at the ISEA PAS