The Finnish Heritage Agency opened a reporting channel for suspected misconduct
The Finnish Heritage Agency has opened a channel where current and former employees, as well as various stakeholders, can confidentially report any misconduct they have observed or suspected in the course of their work. This channel will allow the Agency to develop more accountable practices and maintain good governance.
Even the most effective internal control measures cannot always prevent all possible irregularities. Bringing sensitive issues to the attention of the public can also be a source of concern and embarrassment. The new whistleblowing channel is designed to lower the threshold for reporting and to encourage people to bring forward these issues. It is important for the Agency to be able to address these issues and improve accountability.
The reporting channel is secure and confidential. Notifications are made under the whistleblower's own name and in accordance with national legislation protecting the whistleblower.
We encourage all our employees and stakeholders to report any suspected misconduct. We take all reports seriously and process them in accordance with the law.
Reporting and processing
The report shall primarily be submitted by e-mail to ilmoittajansuojelu@museovirasto.fi with the whistleblower’s contact details. For more detailed instructions, please see the Reporting channel for misconducts page. The more detailed the report, the better the suspected misconduct can be investigated.
An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to the whistleblower within seven days of the submission of the report. An independent processing function set up within the Agency will then process the report and investigate the possible case of misconduct and the appropriateness of the report. Within three months of acknowledgement of receipt of the report, the whistleblower will receive a notification of measures on the action taken or envisaged on the basis of the report and the reasons for the choice of follow-up action.
Customer feedback through a different channel
Customer feedback on the Agency's services is provided via the feedback form.
The reporting channel is intended only for current or former employees and stakeholders of the Finnish Heritage Agency. Other citizens can report suspected misconduct regarding public authorities to the Office of the Chancellor of Justice.
EU Directive as background
The launch of the channel is based on the European Union Whistleblowing Directive ((EU) 2019/1937), which requires that private and public sector organisations with at least 50 employees have an internal whistleblowing channel where people can safely report suspected misconduct. The National Whistleblowing Act (1171/2022), based on the Directive, has entered into force on 1 January 2023 and defines the scope of whistleblower protection.
Additional information:
Roni Roihankorpi
Legal Advisor
roni.roihankorpi@museovirasto.fi
tel. +358 295 33 6057
Additional information and instructions on how to submit a report