This is the roundup of updates provided by the EU Whistleblowing Monitor team of country editors detailing national developments in the transposition of the EU Directive on Whistleblowing during August, September & October 2024.
It has now been two years and ten months since the deadline for all Member States to have fully transposed Directive 2019/1937. All 27 countries have adopted transposition legislation.
No country can be yet considered fully transposed – the EU Commission started and progressed infringement proceedings against most Member States and made referrals to the European Court of Justice for transposition failure. The Commission has now published its conformity report assessing Member States’ transposition efforts.
Updates:
• New Psychological Support Service, Guidance and Report launched in Croatia
• In Cyprus new guides for employers, competent authorities and workers published
• Latest whistleblower court ruling in Czechia demonstrates reversed burden of proof
• New practical guide on whistleblowing, implementation report and analysis in France
• An interesting case in Ireland shows compensation cap overcome by EU law principles
• NGO infringement complaint in Hungary published
• In Romania, EU workshops on whistleblowing underway
• Slovakia whistleblowing authority issues landmark fine and shares progress update
• Whistleblowing authorities join the European network in Belgium and Luxembourg
Resources:
• Slovakian Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers’ Manual: “Everything you need to know before you whistleblow“
• New Report on Implementation from French Défenseur Des Droits (Defender of Rights)
• New Guide to Whistleblowing and Implementation Report from Croatian Ombudswoman
• Transparency International France’s Practical Guide to Whistleblowing
All twenty-seven Member States have now adopted Transposition Laws:
- Austria: (HinweisgeberInnenschutzgesetz – HSchG) was adopted on 01 February 2023 and entered into force on the 25 February 2023 and selected provisions postponed until 25 August and 17 December 2023.
- Belgium: Federal public sector: Projet de Loi relatif aux canaux de signalement et à la protection des auteurs de signalement d’atteintes à l’intégrité dans les organismes du secteur public fédéral et au sein de la police intégrée was adopted on 08 December 2022 and was adopted on 15 December 2022. Further decrees have been adopted to cover the regions of Wallonia, Flemish, German, and French speaking communities.
- Bulgaria: ‘Закон за защита на лицата, които подават сигнали и съобщават публично информация за неправомерни действия’ , was adopted on 27 January 2023 and entered into force on 4 May 2023. Ordanance on the maintenance of the register of whistleblowers pursuant to the Whistleblowing Act entered into force 4 August 2023
- Croatia: ‘O Proglašenju Zakona O Zašiti Prijavitelja Nepravilnosti‘ was adopted on 15 April and entered into force on the 23 April 2022.
- Cyprus: ‘περι τησ προστασιασ προσωπων που αναφερουν παραβιασεισ του ενωσιακου και εθνικου δικαιου και αφορουν το δημοσιο συμφερον νομοσ’ was adopted on 20 January 2021 and entered into force on 4 February 2023.
- Czechia: Návrh zákona, kterým se mění některé zákony v souvislosti s přijetím zákona o ochraně oznamovatelů, was adopted on 1 June 2023 and entered into force on 01 August 2023.
- Denmark: ‘Lov om beskyttelse af whistleblowere’ was adopted 24 June 2021 and entered into force 17 December 2021.
- Estonia: Act on the Protection of Whistleblower of Work-Related Violations of European Union Law Adopted on 15 May 2024, approved 24 May and will enter force 1 September 2024
- Finland: ‘Laki Euroopan unionin ja kansallisen oikeuden rikkomisesta ilmoittavien henkilöiden suojelusta‘ was adopted on 14 December 2022 and entered into force on January 2023.
- France: ’Proposition de Loi visant à améliorer la protection des lanceurs d’alert’ was adopted on 15 February 2022 and was promulgated on 22 March 2022.
- Greece: ‘Προστασία προσώπων που αναφέρουν παραβιάσεις ενωσιακού δικαίου – Ενσωμάτωση της Οδηγίας (ΕΕ) 2019/1937 του Ευρωπαϊκού Κοινοβουλίου και του Συμβουλίου της 23ης Οκτωβρίου 2019 (L 305) και λοιπές επείγουσες ρυθμίσεις‘ was adopted on 15 November 2022 and with some provisions entering into force on 11 May and 17 December 2023.
- Germany: ‘Gesetz für einen besseren Schutz hinweisgebender Personen sowie zur Umsetzung der Richtlinie zum Schutz von Personen, die Verstöße gegen das Unionsrecht melden (Hinweisgeberschutzgesetzesetz)’ was adopted on 9 May 2023 and entered into force on 02 July 2023.
- Hungary: Proposal Nr. 3089 was adopted on 25 May 2023 with selected provisions, will enter into force on 24 July 2023 and others postponed to 2025.
- Ireland: ‘Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Bill 2022’ was adopted on 21 July 2022 and entered into force on 01 January 2023 and the Statutory Instrument No. 375 of 2023 European Union (Protection of Persons who Report Breaches of Union law) regulations 2023 was adopted on the 19 July 2023 and came into force on the 22 July 2023. The new legislation has been incorporated into a consolidated Revised Protected Disclosure Act. 2014
- Latvia: ‘Trauksmes celšanas likums’ was adopted on 20 January 2022 and was due to enter into force on 16 February 2022.
- Lithuania: ‘Pranešėjų Apsaugos Įstatymas’ was adopted on 16 December 2021 and was due to enter into force on 15 February 2021.
- Luxembourg: Loi du 16 mai 2023 portant transposition de la directive (UE) 2019/1937 du Parlement européen et du Conseil du 23 octobre 2019 sur la protection des personnes qui signalent des violations du droit de l’Union. – Legilux (public.lu) was adopted on 16 May 2023 and entered into force on 21 May 2023.
- Malta: ‘ATT sabiex jemenda l-Att dwar il-Protezzjoni ta’ Informatur, Kap. 527’ was adopted on 14 December 2021 and entered into force on 24 December 2021.
- Poland: ‘Ustawa z dnia 14 czerwca 2024 r. o ochronie sygnalistów’ was adopted on 14 June 2024 and will enter into force 3 months after promulgation on 4 July 2024 (some provisions six months.
- Portugal: ‘Lei n.º 93/2021, de 20 de Dezembro and others’ was adopted 26 November 2021, published 20 December 2021 and entered into force 18 June 2022.
- Sweden: ‘Lagen om skydd för personer som rapporterar om missförhållanden’was adopted 29 September 2021 and entered into force on 17 December 2021.
- The Netherlands: ‘Wijziging van de Wet Huis voor klokkenluiders en enige andere wetten’ was adopted 24 January 2023 and entered into force on 18 February 2023.
- Bulgaria: ‘закон за защита на лицата, подаващи сигнали или публично оповестяващи информация за нарушения’ was adopted on the 27 January 2023 and entered into force on 4 May 2023.
- Austria: HinweisgeberInnenschutzgesetz – HSchG was adopted on 01 February 2023 and entered into force on 25 February 2023 and selected provisions postponed until 25 August and 17 December 2023.
- Slovakia: Act No. 189/2019 Coll. (the Amendment Act), amending Act No. 54/2019 Coll. on the Protection of Whistleblowers (and others), was adopted on 10 May 2023 and came into effect on 1 July 2023 with some provisions postponed until 1 September 2023.
- Slovenia: Zakon O Zaščiti Prijaviteljev was adopted on 2 February and entered into force on 22 February 2022.
- Spain: Ley 2/2023, de 20 de febrero, reguladora de la protección de las personas que informen sobre infracciones normativas y de lucha contra la corrupción was adopted on 20 February 2023 and enterers into force on 17 December 2021.
- Italy: D.lgs 10 marzo 2023, n. 24, ubblicato in Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 63 del 15 marzo 2023, costituisce il provvedimento attuativo della Direttiva (UE) 2019/1937 Was approved on the 9 March, was published in the official Gazette on the 10 March 2023 and entered into force from July 15th 2023, with selected provisions delayed until 17 December 2023.
- Romania: Law No. 67/2023 and Propunere legislativă privind modificarea art.6 alin.(2) din Legea nr.361/2022 privind protecţia avertizorilor în interes public was adopted on 14 March 2023 and entered into force on 28 March 2023.