Source: whistleblowingmonitor.eu
A new whistleblowing law has been adopted in Malta to transpose the EU directive on Whistleblowing. NGO, Republikka, has raised concerns that the law does not go far enough. In a recent press release they state:
“The new law is full of gaping holes that will severely limit the ability to protect those witnesses who deserve to be thanked instead of suffering the consequences of speaking out. This fact alone will continue to silence potential witnesses in the future as has happened so far.”
In a recent article published by Emanual Delia – a blogger with a special interest in Maltese politics- and the Whistleblowing International Network the new law is described as being a ‘Trojan Horse’ claiming that urgent intervention by the Maltese authorities to fix the new law is needed.
“Upon first assessment of the Maltese law, a fundamental flaw may undermine the entire project. The proposed scope of the law would only protect individuals who report to specified formal whistleblowing units. … Worse still, the new units to handle disclosure do not have any of the guarantees for independent channels free from conflicts of interest with access to organisational leadership necessary for credibility, and safety for whistleblowers.”
All 27 EU Member States are obligated to transpose the EU Directive on whistleblowing, which should have been fully implemented by 17 December 2021. However, as of today (15 December 2021), only a handful of countries have successfully adopted new legislation – Denmark, Sweden, and Portugal.