The Competition Authority announced on Thursday that it would have a system for collecting reports from whistleblowers, who will be protected from any legal action or sanction from their employer if they denounce an anti-competitive practice.
Individuals who are aware of an agreement between competing companies, an abuse of a dominant position or state aid that they suspect of being illegal, may report these irregularities by post, electronically or by telephone (01.55 .04.00.05), according to the Authority’s press release. The competition watchdog thus equips itself with a new way of uncovering competition violations, in addition to reporting from companies, Fraud Repression and cases in which it takes action itself to investigate. This system results from a law of March 2022 aimed at improving the protection of whistleblowers, which transposed a 2019 European directive into French law.
“The Whistleblower system is reserved for identified individuals who report or disclose” information “without direct financial compensation and in good faith,” details the Authority in its press release. “The alert must relate to facts which have occurred or for which there is a high probability of them occurring. This system guarantees the whistleblower anonymity, the confidentiality of his report and protection against possible legal proceedings or professional reprisals,” it is further specified. In 2022, the Competition Authority imposed fines worth 467.9 million euros, according to its latest annual report. Of the thirteen financial sanctions decided in 2022, six concerned abuse of a dominant position and five aimed to punish illegal agreements.
