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Siemens business is clean business

The Siemens compliance system. Compliance is a top management priority for Siemens. That’s why the global Legal and Compliance Department falls directly under the purview of CEO Roland Busch.

Compliance and integrity go hand in hand

Siemens shows zero tolerance toward corruption, violations of the principles of fair competition and other breaches of the law – and where these do occur, we take swift action. But compliance means much more than just adhering to laws and to the regulations described in the Siemens Business Conduct Guidelines.

Compliance forms the basis for all our decisions and activities, and it is the key to integrity when conducting business. Our premise is this: Only clean business is Siemens business. This applies worldwide and at all levels of the organization.

In addition to combating corruption and competition and export-control violations, the Compliance Department also protects our company against fraud and money laundering as well as safeguards personal data and human rights. We are also active in international organizations that strengthen responsible business practices.

These activities include our worldwide commitment to the United Nations Global Compact and the World Economic Forum with its Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI). We actively support the enactment of the United Nations Convention against Corruption and the Anti-Bribery Convention of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

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Siemens Integrity Initiative – Annual Report 2024

The Annual Report 2024 highlights outcomes of the First, Second, Third and Golden Stretch Funding Rounds.

Learn more

What is the Siemens compliance system?

The Siemens compliance system comprises a comprehensive system of measures to ensure our business is always carried out in full accordance with the law as well as with our internal principles and rules. In the process, we also want to instill the notion of responsible conduct in everything that Siemens employees think and do.

Our Compliance System is divided into three levels of action: prevent, detect and respond. Preventative measures include, for example, compliance risk management, guidelines and procedures, and comprehensive training and advising of employees. Communication channels such as our “Tell us” reporting system and ombudsperson as well as fair internal investigations are indispensable to recognizing and resolving matters of misconduct. Unambiguous responses and clear consequences serve to punish misconduct and eliminate weaknesses. The responsibility all managers carry for compliance is the overarching element above these three levels.

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"Ethical management and compliance are non-negotiable. This goes beyond strict adherence to rules and firmly places integrity at the core of our culture and business operations."

Roland Busch, President and CEO of Siemens AG

Fundamental principles:

Siemens Business Conduct Guidelines

Zero tolerance for misconduct:
Code of Conduct for our business partners

Siemens has required its suppliers and business partners with an intermediary function to adhere to a code of conduct. This code is modeled after the 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact. It covers legal compliance in general and our anticorruption policies in particular, including provisions against anticompetitive practices and conflicts of interest. Using audits, we systematically identify potential risks in our supply chain and collaborate with our business partners and to ensure they comply with the Siemens Code of Conduct.

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Selection and monitoring of our business partners

Under certain circumstances, Siemens can be held legally responsible for the actions of its business partners. We counter this risk by taking a comprehensive approach to selecting our partners, by contractually obliging them to adhere to our Code of Conduct, and by monitoring the ongoing collaborations. This process covers the entire life cycle of the business partnership. Our compulsory companywide Business Partner Compliance Tool supports implementation of the process and ensures documentation of relevant information and activities. And we systematically harness the potential of big data using dashboards and analytics to improve risk management and the monitoring of our business-partner relationships.

Integrating compliance into our business processes

Integrating compliance into our business processes has played a crucial role in creating an effective compliance system, and a key aspect of this has been educating our customers about our compliance principles.

One example of this took place at the Hannover Messe, the world’s most important industry trade fair. There, we presented a new “Compliance Quiz” to our customers. When it comes to compliance, this is what Siemens is all about: clean business, always and everywhere!

Principles and requirements for Siemens suppliers:

Code of Conduct
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Compliance 2024 by the numbers

In fiscal 2024, 417 compliance cases requiring additional inquiry or investigations were reported. That same year, the total number of disciplinary measures imposed for compliance violations was 200. Whistleblowers at Siemens are protected by internal regulations that prohibit the punishment or other detrimental treatment of whistleblowers who report suspicious activity in good faith.

Whistleblowing and reporting channels

Tell Us – If You Believe Something Is Not Right

Report suspected or actual violations of law or company policy, at Siemens or in our Supply Chain, whether you are a Siemens employee or not. In addition to "Tell Us",

Siemens offers another channel for reporting compliance violations: the ombudsperson.

Whistleblowing and reporting channels
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Collective Action: Siemens Integrity Initiative

The Siemens Integrity Initiative supports organizations and projects that combat corruption and fraud through Collective Action and education and training to promote clean markets and fair competition. Established in 2009 after comprehensive settlements with the World Bank Group and Siemens AG in 2009, and later between the European Investment Bank and Siemens AG in 2013, the Siemens Integrity Initiative supports projects that have a clear focus on business and can demonstrate objective and measurable results with the potential for expansion and replication in the future.

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Evolve Funding Round launched in 2025

The Siemens Integrity Initiative continues its commitment to the global fight against corruption though the new Evolve Funding Round launched in 2025. Seven projects with activities in over 30 countries will receive a total of Euro 12 million in funding by 2030. As of June 2024, the full amounts of US$ 100 million under the World Bank settlement and EUR 13,64 million under the European Investment Bank settlement were fully disbursed to 85 Projects in more than 50 countries over four funding tranches.

An overview of the projects can be found at
www.siemens.com/integrity-initiative

Siemens Integrity Initiative Annual Report 2024

EU Digital Services Act (DSA)

The Digital Services Act (“DSA”), officially Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, is a European Union (“EU”) Regulation that came into force on November 16, 2022. Siemens (Siemens AG and/or its subsidiaries) adheres to the DSA to prevent illegal activities on online platforms and better protect the fundamental rights of users. Siemens is committed to promoting transparency and data security for all users of its platforms and recognizes the importance of regulating online platforms and services. Siemens supports the European Commission’s objectives of creating a safer online environment by holding digital platforms accountable for illegal content and harmful activities.

Siemens services in scope

Export Control

It is essential for Siemens, as a globally operating company, to comply with the export control regulations that apply to national and international trade.

Siemens has taken all the measures necessary to comply with the relevant provisions of German, European and U.S. American (re-) export control laws as well as locally applicable export control laws and has established the required processes. These also cover any person-related and country-related embargo regulations based on statutory provisions and applicable to Siemens.

All the substantial legal requirements and any internal restrictions above and beyond these are substantiated in the Internal Control Program Export Control (ICP).

Export control

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