To Merck, compliance means observing legal and company-internal rules and behaving according to the ethical principles anchored in the Merck Values.
In 2002, when Merck adopted the Group-wide
Code of Conduct, it created a binding set of rules for all employees. Updated with the Merck Values in 2008, the Code of Conduct explains the principles for dealings with business associates, general partners, colleagues and employees, and in the communities in which we operate.
Consequently, it supports all employees in acting ethically – not only in their dealings with one another, but also outside the company. The Merck
Social Charter, adopted Group-wide in 2007, supplements the Code of Conduct with globally valid core principles for compliance with human rights and the International Labor Organization (ILO) core labor standards. We also expect
our business associates around the world to comply with these core principles.
Merck created the position of Group Compliance Officer (GCO) in 2002. This employee is responsible for setting up, maintaining and further developing our global compliance program. By taking appropriate measures, the GCO helps to lower the risk of serious legal violations, of for instance antitrust law or anticorruption rules. The role of the GCO is reflected in the subsidiaries by the approximately 80 local compliance officers, who ensure that compliance measures are implemented in the countries. This Group-wide network is used to steer the global compliance program.
Regular regional and global compliance meetings are held to promote the exchange of information within the network. Newcomer training seminars were introduced in 2010 for newly appointed compliance officers. These seminars serve to build up compliance expertise and strengthen team building within the compliance organization.
The Compliance function reports at least once a year to the Executive Board, informing it of the status of compliance activities, compliance risks as well as serious compliance violations. The Executive Board informs the supervisory bodies at least once a year about the key compliance issues. The significance of compliance is steadily increasing, and Merck continuously adapts its compliance systems to the increasing requirements.
