Europgen Membership Code of Conduct
Europgen members are expected to adopt the standards of dignity, fairness and integrity. The purpose of this Code of Conduct is to strengthen confidence in the integrity and professional standards of members. Abiding by this Code is essential for membership of Europgen.
No member shall:
- Act in a manner detrimental to the interests of their members or their employer
- Transgress any laws in the performance of their duties
- Abide by anti-trust and competition laws
Members will:
- Serve Europgen with loyalty and respecting confidentiality, avoiding conflicts of interest and activities for personal advantage to the detriment of Europgen or its members
- Bring to the attention of Europgen’s Executive board, potential decisions or actions that they identify as unethical or illegal and of the possible results of such decisions or actions
- Serve all members of Europgen with impartiality, providing no particular benefits to any member and accepting no personal compensation from a member without the prior knowledge and approval of Europgen’s Executive board and that of their own employer
- Ensure, to the best of their ability, that interactions between members, employees, suppliers and volunteers are fair, free of unwarranted discrimination and harassment
In its dealings with Europgen, members will
- Support Europgen’s work to advance the standards of themselves and their industry
- Be respectful to Europgen if it disagrees with its advice or policies, giving it the opportunity to comment, reply or change its processes, in a professional manner
Judgement
Members must:
- Establish the ‘spirit’ and intent of regulation and consider its implications from the perspective of all key stakeholders, avoiding any over-simplification that diminishes the value and importance of the work undertaken by Europgen.
- Understand that the integrity and effectiveness of Europgen is based on independence and judgment, recognising that they shall protect and ensure their independence and alert the Executive Board should this be compromised. As such they need to ensure that they have a direct voice to the board of directors (or its equivalent).
- Take mature judgments in balancing competing priorities and conflicts of interest, interpreting ‘grey’ areas, making fine judgements and decisions and then acting with the appropriate degree of sensitivity making difficult decisions when required to do so.
Behaviour
Members must:
- Be proactive in building a positive culture respects and is committed to Europgen’s objectives, values and outcomes.
- Be able to raise uncomfortable issues and ask challenging questions and make contributions that enable constructive challenges and discussion.
- Remain committed to open, clear, accurate, timely and accessible responses, both to the Executive Board and other members and be committed to maintaining transparency.
Development
Members must:
- Aim for open relationships with colleagues and members, offering high-quality advice and guidance and understand where ownership lies.
- Avoid exceeding the limitations of their competence.
Europgen will update and develop their Code of Conduct as necessary.
Consequences of non-compliance
Members should understand that should an infringement of this Code or the principles it contains come to the attention of the Executive Board, it would be just cause to trigger a further investigation which, if found correct, lead to the withdrawal of the member.
Compliance with Laws, Rules and Regulations
Europgen requires that all employees, contractors, volunteers, officers and directors comply with all laws, rules and regulations applicable to their industry. You are expected to use sound judgment and common sense to comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations.
If you become aware of the violation of any law, rule or regulation by the Company, whether by its officers, employees, directors, or any third party doing business on behalf of the Company, it is your responsibility to promptly report the matter to your supervisor.
Conflicts of Interest
Employees, contractors, volunteers, officers and directors must act in the best interests of Europgen and their employer.. You must refrain from engaging in any activity or having a personal interest that presents a conflict of interest. It is your responsibility to disclose any transaction or relationship that reasonably could be expected to give rise to a conflict of interest.
Confidentiality
Employees, contractors, volunteers, officers and directors must maintain the confidentiality of confidential information entrusted to them in their capacity with Europgen. Unauthorized disclosure of any confidential information is prohibited. Additionally, employees of Europgen members should take appropriate precautions to ensure that confidential or sensitive business information, whether it is proprietary to their employer or another company, is not communicated within Europgen except to employees who have a need to know such information to perform their responsibilities.
Honest and Ethical Conduct and Fair Dealing
Employees, contractors, volunteers, officers and directors should deal honestly, ethically and fairly with Europgen’s suppliers, customers, competitors and employees. Statements regarding Europgen’s products and services must not be untrue, misleading, deceptive or fraudulent. You must not take unfair advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts or any other unfair-dealing practice.
Protection and Proper Use of Corporate Opportunities
Employees, contractors, volunteers, officers and directors must advance Europgen’s legitimate interests when the opportunity to do so arises. You must not take for yourself personal opportunities that are discovered through your position with Europgen or the use of its property or information.
Accuracy of Books and Records and Public Reports
Employees, contractors, volunteers, officers and directors must honestly and accurately report all business transactions. You are responsible for the accuracy of your records and reports. Accurate information is essential to Europgen’s ability to meet legal and regulatory obligations.
Reporting and Compliance Procedures
Every employee, contractor, volunteer, officer and director has the responsibility to ask questions, seek guidance and report suspected violations and express concerns regarding compliance with this Code. Any employee, contractor, volunteer, officer and director who knows or believes that any other representative of Europgen has engaged or is engaging in Europgen-related conduct that violates applicable law or this Code should report such information to his or her supervisor or to the Executive Board. Such reports should be made without any fear of retaliation.
Europgen will not discipline, discriminate against or retaliate against any employee, contractor, volunteer, officer or director who reports such conduct, unless it is found that the report was made with knowledge that it was false, or who cooperates in any investigation or inquiry regarding such conduct.