Compliance at ARTE
ARTE is committed to a responsible, exemplary and transparent approach to the day-to-day management of the Group’s activities. Ethical and professional standards apply, underpinned by internal and external whistleblowing and monitoring mechanisms.
Professional conduct and ethics: our anti-corruption system
As a responsible European public broadcaster, ARTE is guided by the strong values and principles set out in our Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics (“ARTE France” “ARTE G.E.I.E” “ARTE DE”). This guarantees our integrity as a publicly-funded cultural channel in France and Germany. ARTE management’s commitment to conducting its professional activities fairly and ethically, with the utmost integrity, is a cornerstone of our approach to preventing and detecting fraud and corruption. In practical terms, this commitment has involved:
- establishing a corruption prevention and detection system
- appointing an ethics officer tasked with promoting and upholding ethical values and putting them into practice within the company, as well as defining and implementing the anti-corruption system
- introducing a Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics and a conflict-of-interest policy
- introducing a whistleblowing system (see following paragraph)
- implementing measures to assess third party risk criticality
- assessing fraud and corruption risks
- providing training and awareness-raising within the company
- adopting a disciplinary procedure and applying sanctions where appropriate
- establishing an appropriate internal and external communication policy.
Our ethics alert system
The Waserman Law (Law No. 2022-401 of 21 March 2022 to improve whistleblower protection), which came into force on 1 September 2022, transposes the European Directive on the protection of whistleblowers into French law.
ARTE guarantees its employees and external collaborators the right to report, in complete confidence and with no risk of reprisal, any conduct that deviates from the standards, laws or regulations in force within ARTE GEIE. They may contact the ethics officer or senior management directly.
The Ethics Officer can be contacted at the following address:
ARTE GEIE : referentethique@arte.tv
ARTE Deutschland : peter.rauffmann@arte.de
ARTE France : referentethique@artefrance.fr
To ensure it can provide a professional environment characterised by integrity and responsibility, since June 2024, ARTE’s communication channels have been enhanced by the addition of an online reporting platform common to all three ARTE companies. This is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our compliance work.
This platform has been designed to provide anyone working for or with the organisation with a confidential and secure means of reporting any conduct or situation that is in breach of our internal policies, current regulations or the fundamental ethical principles we uphold.
The online reporting platform is accessible at https://arte.besignal.com
It is secure and guarantees anonymity for whistleblowers, should they so wish. All reports are taken seriously and handled confidentially by the designated contact person.
In addition to this system, ARTE offers whistleblowers the option to turn to an external, independent contact – a lawyer appointed by ARTE GEIE – to respond to enquiries concerning illegal or improper behaviour on the part of ARTE employees, irregularities in commercial transactions, or practices amounting to corruption.
The Strasbourg-based law firm Schreckenberg Parnière & Associés acts as a trusted Franco-German mediator for ARTE and is available to all staff, as well as to individuals outside our organisation who have business dealings with ARTE. It operates in accordance with European whistleblower protection regulations, ensuring strict confidentiality for all communications and, if so desired, for the identity of the whistleblower.
The law firm can be contacted at the following email address: compliance@sp-avocats.fr
↓ Download the whistleblowing procedure (PDF)
Financial Regulations
The Financial Regulations aim to establish clear and consistent standards for the efficient management of the finances of ARTE G.E.I.E. and ARTE France. They ensure compliance with current regulations whilst promoting the economical use of the funds and resources made available to ARTE. They set out the necessary methods and procedures, including an internal monitoring system. The Financial Regulations formalise the budgetary and accounting principles and the mechanisms for committing expenditure, taking into account legislative developments in the field of public procurement.
Journalists Code of Conduct and Ethics
↓ Download the Journalists Code of Conduct and Ethics (PDF)
Our Values in Practice
ARTE is an independent, public-service, Franco-German broadcaster with a European focus, catering to all audiences across all types of screen. Our close collaboration with creators aims to showcase bold, socially engaged European works. Our programmes offer a variety of narratives and portrayals of the world that bring Europeans closer together through culture, unite them around humanist values, and analyse current issues and challenges, particularly those relating to environmental conservation. The three ARTE companies ensure they have the resources they need to put into practice, in their day-to-day activities, the values the channel promotes in its programmes.