Employees of any EDP Group companies can contact their line manager, the top management or the Ethics Ombudsman and the designated contacts, through the channels provided for this purpose.
Stakeholders outside the Group can contact the EDP Ethics Ombudsman using the following contact form.
The EDP Code of Ethics Reguilations (Article 4.3) set forth rules for the resolution of any conflicts of interest arising in processing an ethical complaint, namely by replacement or prevention of the participation of people involved in the relevant deliberation.
Except in exceptional circumstances, the Ethics Ombudsman shall contact the complainant within two business days of registering the complaint. If this leads to an ethical complaint process for submission to the Ethics Committee, the Committee will make a decision within 90 days, as a rule.
Complaints filed with the Ethics Ombudsman will only be accessible by the Ombudsman, who will be the only party to make contact with the complainant throughout the process of registration, acceptance and resolution of the complaint. At technical level, EDP shall seek to ensure a high level of performance of its information systems, particularly with regard to adequate information protection and processing in accordance with all applicable laws. As set out in the EDP Group Information Security Policy, these information systems, including email, are subject to regular audits and tests by independent certified bodies.
In all documents and throughout the process, to the extent that the need associated with the investigation allows it, the Ethics Ombudsman shall omit the identity of the complainant. When such secrecy must not or cannot be ensured, the Ombudsman shall inform the complainant in advance and together they shall assess any complementary safeguarding measures that may be justified in specific circumstances.
No. The general rule in the EDP Group is that anonymous complaints are not accepted, as there is an explicit commitment to non-retaliation and confidentiality of the identity of the complainant as well as to protection of the rights of the subject of the complaint and to discretion regarding the subject matter of the complaint. EDP also commits to protect the rights of the individual(s) that is/are the subject of the complaint and/or investigation.
Exceptions to this rule are the cases where, for legal reasons requirement, the complainant is allowed the option of anonymity. These cases, when they occur, are explained in the respective complaint channels.
Yes, they can. However, they should ensure that they base their claim on what they consider to be breaches of EDP’s commitments as set forth in its Code of Ethics, either by employees of one of the Group companies or by third parties acting on their behalf.
Claims of a commercial nature should be directed to the customer relation channels of the companies in question or, if a satisfactory response is not obtained, to the Clients’ Ombudsman as an appeal body regarding these matters.
EDP promotes the development of an open and positive organizational climate. Therefore, several channels are made available for employees, customers, suppliers or other stakeholders to submit complaints or suggestions regarding the different matters of interest to them, including business ethics.
To safeguard the identity of the complainant and to enable better management of the redressal of the situations identified and prevention of their recurrence, complaints regarding alleged violations of the EDP Code of Ethics must be reported to the Ethics Ombudsman by letter, or through the dedicated online channel.
In any case, claims that may involve infringements of a financial or accounting nature must be reported to the Financial Matters Committee of the EDP General and Supervisory Board, through the Irregularities Communication Channel. In this case too, non-retaliation and confidentiality regarding the identity of the complainant are guaranteed.
The values and guiding principles of action set out in the Code of Ethics represent the commitments of the EDP Group and are binding to all employees and third parties representing the Group. They set standards for desirable and expected behaviour in their relationships with the various stakeholders in every operational context. Any behaviour in conflict with the provisions of the Code of Ethics shall be deemed a failure to fulfil these Group commitments and shall therefore be considered subject to complaint from those who feel their rights and expectations, or those of third parties, have been harmed.