In May, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on the harmonization of American and European approaches to compliance and ethics at the 7th Compliance & Technology Conference of the Institut du Risk & Compliance in Paris (special thanks to Maria Lancri for the kind introductions that led to my involvement). It was a wonderful discussion of similarities and differences, processes and approaches, and speculation of what the future holds for multinational companies.

As the compliance and ethics profession has grown and evolved, similarities and differences have emerged between countries. Add to this the fact that the laws and regulations to which compliance programs are applied can differ dramatically in each country, and the complexity, as well as the need for harmonization, becomes apparent.