EADS Global Website - Ethics and Compliance

Ethics and Compliance Programme

The Group has publicly committed to ethics, compliance and transparency and the EADS Vision 2020 places the promotion of ethical behaviour as a key company responsibility. The adoption of a comprehensive ethics and compliance approach is critical to protect the Group’s interests and sustain its development as a responsible global player.

Having reviewed the existing compliance practices and policies, the Board of Directors of EADS decided in 2008 to update the Group’s compliance approach through the establishment of a further integrated Compliance Organisation.

Since its early days, the Group has adopted demanding standards for its international trade activities. Detailed policies and rules were approved and continuously improved and reinforced in keeping with the highest ethical and compliant industry standards. The Group has also put a special focus on compliance with export control regulations and laws. Accordingly, EADS has established a cascading system of export control procedures and policies which are implemented by export control professionals amongst the Group.

Building on this experience, the Group-wide integrated Compliance Organisation aims to emphasise the Group’s commitment to the highest ethical and compliance standards, while addressing compliance risks.

In order to reach efficiency as early as possible, the compliance organisational approach is based on the right balance between independence and proximity to the business. The EADS Group Chief Compliance Officer has therefore established a compliance organisation made up of compliance experts within Divisions, Business Units and Functions. At all levels of the company, a double reporting principle is applied, any compliance resource having both a compliance hierarchy and an operational hierarchy.