External reporting offices

The Whistleblower Protection Act grants individuals intending to submit a report the right to choose whether to contact an internal reporting office within the company or to call an external reporting office at the federal or state level.

However, the Whistleblower Protection Act also stipulates that reports to an internal office should be preferred if effective action can be taken against the violation through it, and reporting individuals have no reason to fear reprisals (§ 7 para. 1 Whistleblower Protection Act).

We pursue all relevant reports received through our internal reporting office and explicitly commit to protecting all reporting individuals from reprisals.

External reporting offices at the federal level are currently established at:

• The Federal Office of Justice
• The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin)
• The Federal Cartel Office

You can find all information about the responsibilities of the external reporting offices and their contact details on the website of the Federal Office of Justice:
External Reporting Office of the Federal Office of Justice